I Want You to Want Me
by TinyDancer14
Summary: Troy Bolton is used to getting everything he's ever wanted. This spring, he wants Gabriella Montez.
1. Ch 1: Prom Dates

**Hey everyone! I decided to create a new Troyella story! The plot I will not give out, of course, but I did get the title from a song at dance. And oh my gosh, I just recently found out that Lindsay Lohan has a version of this song. It SUCKS! So if you want to really listen to "I Want You to Want Me," the real song is by Cheap Trick. So ya! Enjoy!  
**

**Psssh... If I really owned them, do you think I'd be wasting my time writing about them?  
**

* * *

  
Chapter 1: Prom Dates  


"Hey Gabriella!"

"Gabriella, catch you later?"

"Call me, Gabriella!"

16-year-old Troy Bolton closed his eyes. If one more person said anything to the young brunette beside him, he was going to go _insane. _Ever since the callbacks on that fateful "Triple Win Day," she had become unbelievably popular. Everyone knew who she was, and almost everyone wanted to be friends with her. Especially the guys.

Now Troy wasn't jealous, mind you. No, jealous wasn't quite the word. He liked to think of himself as...envious. Begrudging, discontented, and jaundiced. But then again, they all meant the same thing. He wanted Gabriella Montez for himself.

It wasn't like he couldn't have her. He could. Truth be told, every girl in the school wanted to be with him; he could have any girl he wanted. But Gabriella was different. She was special. She saw right past the "Playmaker" exterior and saw the true Troy Bolton inside. No one had ever truly seen him in that way before. It amazed him.

"Hello? Troy Bolton? Are you with us this morning?" Gabriella waved a hand in front of his face with a giggle.

"What?"

Gabriella shrugged as they stopped at her locker. "Nothing, you just completely zoned out on me. We were in the middle of a very important conversation."

Troy leaned against the locker beside hers. "Oh yeah? And what might that be?"

She smiled up at him. "Who you're going to take to the prom. It's a very important topic."

"Oh really," He laughed. "I still have some time to think about it, don't I?"

"Only three months. It's in early May, and I've already gotten three offers. How am I supposed to choose?"

Troy frowned. _Three offers? Already? _"I don't know. Who asked you?"

Gabriella pulled back from her locker and placed a hand on her hip. "Uh, let's see. On Wednesday, Mike Laughtry asked me. Then yesterday Tyler Jacobs asked, and last night Greg Sanderson called me." She turned back to her locker. "I don't even know how he got my number."

Troy shuddered. "Creepy."

"A little bit," She laughed.

Gabriella gathered the rest of her things and she and Troy made their way to homeroom. The very familiar Darbus homeroom was their calling, and almost everyone was already inside. Gabriella took her seat in the back row, still not brave enough to sit in the intimidating front seat with Sharpay. Troy took the seat next to her on her left side, and Gabriella took notice of Taylor on her right. She greeted the girl with a wave.

"Morning, Tay. Any good gossip lately?"

Taylor shook her head. "Nah, not since the musical rendezvous. But I officially have a date for the junior prom."

"Ooh really? Who?" Gabriella squealed in excitement.

"Chad asked me this morning. It was so sweet! He came up to my locker, gave me a carnation, and asked me if I'd be his date! Of course I said yes! It was so cute."

"Aww, Tay, that's great. I wish my decision was that easy." Gabriella said, glancing at Troy quickly before turning away, slightly embarrassed.

Taylor leaned closer to her best friend and whispered, "Has Troy asked you yet?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No, I wish he would. It would make my decision a lot easier."

"I bet."

Gabriella turned to Troy. "Hey you, you never answered my question."

"What question?"

"Who do you want to take to the prom?"

Troy smiled at her and opened his mouth to reply. But before he could respond, the homeroom bell rang and Miss Darbus began to take attendance. Gabriella rolled her eyes and mouthed, 'You're answering me later.' Troy smiled in response. It was almost ridiculous how envious he was of the three guys who had a chance with her. She's such a wonderful girl. Who wouldn't want to be with her?

"You, Gabriella," Troy whispered. "I want to take you."

* * *

_Knock-knock-knock._

"Come in," Jack Bolton called from behind the door.

"Hey dad," Troy said as he entered his father's office. "I have to talk to you."

"Sure playmaker, what's up?"

"It's about the prom..." Troy trailed off and took a seat in a chair in front of his father.

"Have you found a date yet?"

Troy sighed. "Sort of. I found who I want to ask, but she's already been asked by three other guys."

"Did Gabriella agree to go with any of the other guys?" Jack asked

"Well, no, not ye- hey wait. I never said it was Gabriella!" Troy exclaimed

Jack laughed. "Troy, you're my son. I know you. And I also know about your little crush on Miss Montez."

Troy didn't know what to say. He looked down at his feet. "So... what do I do?"

"If she didn't agree to go with any of the other guys then you still have a chance. Ask her out, you know you want to."

Troy stood and began to walk out of the office. Before he left, he smiled at his father.

"Thanks dad."

"Your welcome."

After seeing his son leave, Jack Bolton shook his head and picked up his newspaper once more.

"The poor boy's in love."

* * *

"Alright, we are walking home, no interruptions, and I want to get an answer from you Troy Bolton." Gabriella ordered as they left the school building that afternoon.

"Gabriella, what is there to tell?"

She looked at him. "Troy! If I told you who asked me to prom, you need to tell me who _you_ asked. It's only fair." Then she pouted. "I thought we were best friends..."

Troy rolled his eyes playfully and stopped walking to give her a hug, relishing the moment he held her close. "We are."

Gabriella smiled and pulled away. "Then tell me. Why are you so afraid?"

"I'm not afraid, it's just...complicated. There are so many girls who want to go with me-"

"Ah, yes," Gabriella cut him off. "The ever popular Troy Bolton fan club. Did you know they have a shrine for you in the Girl's Locker Room?"

Troy looked at her skeptically. "No, are you serious?"

"Yes! It's hilarious! Those obsessed girls need some serious help. And a life. They spend their shower time praying to the gods that you'll ask them out. It's ridiculous." She laughed

"Oh my god, what is wrong with this world?"

Gabriella's visage became serious as she looked up at him. "I have no idea."

"Hey, who's that?" Troy asked as he and Gabriella approached her house.

"Um, I don't know. Why is he standing at my door?"

"Hey you, who are yo-" Troy began, but was almost immediately cut-off.

"Gabriella Montez, will you do me the honor of being my date to the junior prom?" Greg Sanderson asked, handing her a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a large bouquet of roses. Gabriella was flushed with excitement.

"Oh my gosh, I don't know what to say! Thank you!"

"Say yes," Greg encouraged, as Troy watched with sheer envy.

_Please don't say yes. Please don't say yes. Please don't say yes. Please don't say-_

"I'd love to, Greg."

_Shit._


	2. Ch 2: Meet the Bolton's

**Hey guys! It's me again! Listen, you guys are so amazing! You don't know how good it felt to open my e-mail that morning and see 33 reviews for just one chapter! Amazing, that's all I can say. Well actually, I can also say a hugggeee THANK YOU!!!! to everyone who reviewed. This is chapter two. It's not that exciting, I guess, but it's just a filler chapter. The real stuff is on its way!**

**I don't own any of the characters or the movie High School Musical. I did make up Allison Bolton, but I don't care if you steal her. She's fictional.  
**

* * *

Chapter 2: Meet the Bolton's

Troy entered his house with a slam of the front door. He let all of his books fall to the floor before letting out an exasperated sigh. Hearing some rumbling and rustling in the kitchen, Troy knew his mother was busy making dinner. He slumped up the stairs, trying to pass the kitchen without his mother noticing. No such luck.

"Troy, is that you?"

He let out a breath. "Yeah, mom, I'm home."

"Good, could you come in here for a minute please? I have a surprise for you."

Sighing again, Troy trudged into the kitchen. "Yes mom?"

"Hey playmaker." A voice from across the kitchen rang out.

"Allison? What are you doing home?" Troy smiled, walking over to his older sister.

"Early spring break, I've got half the month off." Allison explained as she hugged her younger brother.

Allison Bolton was a tall and thin young girl. She was attending Skidmore College for Dance in New York as a freshman, and was excelling in her study. At just eighteen years of age, Allison looked almost identical to her younger brother, except for the fact that she was a girl. Allison had the same crystal blue eyes, the same golden honey hair, and the exact same winning smile. But she also carried some wisdom with her that her sixteen-year-old brother did not know about.

"So what's going on with you? How's school and basketball? Here, come sit with me, playmaker. Tell me all about it." Allison inquired.

Troy let out his fourth sigh of the afternoon. "School's alright, I guess. It's just the same stupid subjects and with the same stupid teachers. And basketball's going great. Dad's not pressuring me as much any more, since last year, and we're doing pretty well."

Allison smiled. "That's great, but... why are you so down? With a life like that you should be on top of the world."

Troy shrugged. It wasn't like she would understand what was going on, right?

"Troy's got a girl problem," Jack said, to no one in particular, as he entered the kitchen.

"Daddy!" Allison grinned as she leapt up to hug him. He kissed his daughter's hair in response.

"Hey Ally, glad to know you had a safe flight."

After a few minutes of talking, Allison turned back to her brother, who was quietly trying to leave the room. She snatched his jacket and pulled him back down to the kitchen table.

"Girl problems?"

Troy shook his head._ Thanks Dad. _ "None that you should know about."

"Is it with that girl from the musical last year? Grace, was it?"

Jack turned to his daughter. "Gabriella."

"Oh that's it," Said Allison, remembering

"Dad!" Troy exclaimed.

"Troy, just tell her. She may know be able to help you." His mother scolded as she set the table.

"Fine," Troy gave in. "You win. I wanted to ask Gabriella to the prom, but she's already been asked by three other guys. So Dad told me to make my move before she agreed to go with one of the other guys. Right before I asked her, she was asked out by Greg Sanderson... and she told him she'd go."

Allison shuddered. "Greg Sanderson? That creep?"

Troy shot her a look. "You know him?"

"Ugh, yes. I wish I didn't. Last year he was a senior and was the most recycled guy in school. He dated a total of thirty-four girls in two months. Six of them got pregnant, and four of them had to move away because they were being sexually harassed and abused."

His eyes widened in shock. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't lie about this loser. You better tell Gabriella to be careful. She might get herself into trouble."

Troy only nodded, for he was too horrified to speak. He climbed the stairs and crept to his room, silently shutting the door. Lying down on his bed, he closed his eyes and began to contemplate the matter at hand. He cared about Gabriella too much to let her 'get into trouble' with this guy. But what could he do now? She was already going with Greg, no questions asked. If there was something he could do, he'd do it. But right now, there weren't any options open.

Or so he thought.

* * *

The next morning, Troy met up with Gabriella, Taylor, and Chad before school started in the library. Chad was frantically trying to finish his math equations that he failed to complete the night before, and Taylor was softly reprimanding him that 'if he failed to prepare, he prepared to fail.' Gabriella thought this was all mildly funny, and was giggling at the sight in front of her. Troy, however, was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice this scene, and was just sitting quietly next to her, lost in his own world. 

Gabriella nudged him. "Hey, are you okay? You seem kind of quiet."

Troy gave her a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"Do you need a hug?" She asked, holding her arms out towards him.

He laughed. "Not, particularly. But if you're just giving them away, I guess it couldn't hurt..."

"Troy, if anything was ever bothering you, you would tell me, right?" She challenged

"Of course I would," He nodded with concern.

She took a strong hold of both of his hands and made him look her in the eye. She spoke very slowly, as if she were speaking to a young child.

"Then what's wrong?"

"I don't know Gabriella, it's just...yesterday, I only wanted to-"

"CHAD! What isn't to understand? All you have to do is subtract the constant from both sides to get the roots of the equation! It's that simple!" Taylor screeched

"This is so damn frustrating! I hate math!" Chad yelled back to her

Taylor groaned and turned toward Gabriella. "Gabby will you please help me find a novel for my book report? I can't stand dealing with this BONEHEAD any longer!"

Gabriella half-laughed at her best friend. "Sure, Tay. I'm coming."

She got up from the table and placed a kiss on Troy's cheek. "I'm gonna call you later, okay? I think we need to have a little chat." She turned to Taylor and Chad. "One without interruptions."

As the girls walked away, Troy touched his cheek, then slammed the table in dissatisfaction.

"Math may be bad, Chad, but nothing is more frustrating than girls."

Chad laughed. "Still having issues with her?"

Troy merely nodded.

"Dude, just ask her out. It's not that difficult."

"Well, it kinda is when she's already going with some other guy."

Chad looked up, interested. "Who?"

"Greg Sanderson."

"...Are you serious? She's going out with _him_?"

Troy groaned. "Oh, you know about him too? I hoped my sister was making it up. Why was I the last to know?"

Chad's face lit up. "Ally's home?"

"Yeah, but don't get any ideas. She thinks you're scary."

"Whatever, that was middle school. Anyway, Greg Sanderson is not the kind of guy for Gabriella Montez. He's not even the kind of guy for _any_ girl. You can't let her go out with him."

Troy looked down. "I know. I don't want her to get hurt. I care about her way too much to let some scumbag get his hands on her."

Chad looked at his forlorn friend and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Then do something about it."


	3. Ch 3: A Little Chat

**Hey guys! Look, I totally wanted to get this out before I went to my dance competition, but fanfiction had other plans. Ha ha ha. This chapter has some harsh language, so if you are uncomfortable by these words, I'm sorry. But it's only going to get worse, because Greg has a mind of his own. Let's just say, he likes cussing and has no problem using his words...**

**I own the plot line and Allison. Nothing else is mine! Oh, and I named Mrs. Bolton Lisa. Thanks Dakotah!!**

* * *

Chapter 3: A Little Chat

The phone rang in the Bolton household, no one bothering to pick it up. Jack and Troy were out in the yard shooting hoops, while Ally sat at the kitchen counter peeling potatoes for Lisa's stew. The neglected phone still rang wildly off the hook, but no one seemed to care.

"Ally, will you grab that please?" Lisa finally asked, adding more carrots to the bubbling pot of stew on the stove.

"Sure, if you want to be eating at eight o' clock tonight. That's how long this is gonna take me." She complained.

"Allison, peeling potatoes is not that difficult. Now answer the phone before the machine picks up!"

"But mom-"

"Ally! Get the phone!"

Allison sighed, and picked up the phone in distaste. "Hello, you've reached the Troy Bolton fan club! This is the president, Ally, speaking. How can I help you?"

"Allison!" Lisa hissed from across the room.

"Uh..." Came the unsure voice on the other line. "I was just wondering if I could speak to Troy... you know... if he's around..."

"Oh he's around. Who, may I ask, is calling?"

"This is Gabriella," Gabriella answered, one question lingering in her mind. "Are you... Troy's girlfriend?"

Allison laughed. "Oh gosh, no! I'm his sister!"

Gabriella was confused. "Troy Bolton has a sister?"

Allison scoffed. "Yeah, but he obviously doesn't talk about me much."

"No, not often," Gabriella laughed this time. "Does he... have a girlfriend?"

"Only in his dreams." Allison answered. _He wants it to be you._

"Oh," Gabriella replied, clearly relieved. "So you must be older than him. I don't see you around school."

"Yeah, I'm a freshman in college." Allison sat on the stool she had once been occupying. "And you must be the girl Troy did the musical with. He's always talking about you."

Gabriella blushed. "Really?"

"Yeah, all the time," Allison smiled. _I like her already_. "We'll have to talk again sometime, okay?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

"I'll get Troy for you." Allison leapt up from her place at the counter and came to the sliding glass door that led to the patio.

"Troy!! Phone call!" She called out.

Troy wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "Is it Gabriella?"

"Yes," Allison gave him a secretive smile.

"Al, don't do that." Troy mildly scolded as he took the phone from her and headed into the house.

Jack held up the basketball. "Hey, what about our game?"

Allison turned to her father. "Daddy, let him go. Trust me, this is much more important."

* * *

Troy climbed the stairs and headed into his room. Once safely behind his closed door, he took Gabriella off hold.

"You did not tell me you had a sister!!!" Came the immediate response.

Troy laughed. "Sorry, it must have slipped my mind."

"Troy, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. How could something like that slip your mind?"

"Good point."

"Thank you."

"So what's up?"

"You know why I called, Troy. Something's wrong with you and now you're gonna tell me." She pursued.

He sighed. "I know. It's just... I'm worried about you, Gabriella."

Gabriella wrinkled her nose in confusion. "What? Why?"

"Because you're going out with Greg Sanderson. He's... he's bad news."

"What did he do?"

Troy drew in a deep breath. "It's a long story, but one you definitely need to hear. He's not a very nice guy, Gabriella. He gets girls into to serious trouble. Some get pregnant, others get STD's, and he doesn't get into trouble for any of it. You can't let him do this to you, Gabby. You can't let this happen."

Gabriella was quiet for a long time. Troy thought she had hung up the phone.

"Gabriella? Are you still there?"

"Yes," She whispered. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I heard it from more than one reliable source."

"Who?"

"Ally, Chad, and a few others on the basketball team. This is serious, Gab."

"I can tell," She answered in a barely audible tone. "I'm going to ask him if this is true."

"Gabriella, don't you believe me?"

"I do, Troy... but I need to hear it from him."

"Gabriella! He'll just deny it!"

"What if he's not denying it? What if all of these things are just rumors people are making up? What if you're just making up this little act because you don't want me to date him? Do you think I'm not capable of picking out a guy? Do you think I need your approval of guys I want to date? Well, guess what Troy, I have my own mind. I don't need your help." Gabriella ranted off to him.

"Gabriella, don't get mad at me. I'm just trying to warn you."

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just... I can't help it. It's out of instinct. My father controlled my mother's life until one day she just snapped. I'm only defending myself. Sorry, Troy."

Troy bit his lip. Her father. She only talked about him when she was pissed off.

"I know you are. It's okay, Gabriella. You don't have to bring him into this."

"I think I'm gonna call him," Gabriella said nervously. "I have every right to."

Troy hesitated. "You do, but please don't. I'm begging you not to, Gab. You'll get hurt."

Gabriella sighed. "Troy, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Thank you for your concern. I'll see you tomorrow."

Before Troy could get a word out, Gabriella hung up her cell phone. She sighed and looked at the screen of the phone. It blinked, indicating that she had a few missed calls. But when she pulled up the list, she couldn't believe her eyes. _37 missed calls? How? Who would call me that many times?_ Looking for a number, she found that it was none other than Greg Sanderson. She pressed 'Send' and returned his call.

"Gabriella? Is that you?"

"Yeah, hey Greg," She replied. "Um, did you call me?"

"Yes I did. Who were you talking to?" Greg questioned with force.

Gabriella felt slightly uneasy. "Um... Troy Bolton. Why?"

"That stupid basketball jock? You're friends with that imbecile?" He smirked at her, making her feel ludicrous.

"Well, yeah. We have been since last year. Is that a problem?"

"Don't you take that tone with me! Who do you think you are, you stupid bitch?!?! You are not to talk to me like that! You are also never to talk to Troy Bolton again, or I will hunt you down and punish you to no end. Am I clear???" He spat into the phone

Gabriella was softly crying, but not audible enough for him to hear. "Uh... yeah. You're clear. Good night."

"Good night, Gabriella. I love you."

Gabriella was shocked. Had she heard what she thought she just heard? _First he acts like a jerk and then he tells me he loves me? What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

Hanging up the phone gingerly, Gabriella opened the door to her bedroom and exited the room in pure anguish. Not because it was dinnertime and they were having her least favorite meal, not because her boyfriend was a complete bipolar maniac, but because deep in her heart, she knew Troy was right.

Her mother asked her to set the table, and she obliged with a sigh. Not only was Troy right, but now she couldn't even tell him he was right. Greg was controlling her, not allowing her to talk to him, what was that all about? _I can think for myself. I'll talk to him if I want to talk to him._

Only later would she realize the consequences of her actions.


	4. Ch 4: Words That Hurt

**Hey peeps! Why is fanfiction being retarded?? It won't send me any e-mails, but whatev. Anyway, here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy, sorry I'm late with posting. **

**I own no one and nothing. Except Mr. Mason. He's my History teacher. Ha ha ha...**

* * *

Chapter 4: Words That Hurt

Gabriella walked slowly through the halls a few mornings later, awkwardly conscious of her surroundings. As she passed hordes of people, they shot her sympathetic glances, as if saying they knew what she was going through. But how could anyone possibly know? They didn't know what it was like to have an insane boyfriend.

Sighing, Gabriella opened her locker and found a note stuffed into the depths. That simple piece of paper brought a smile to the young girl's face as she read it. It almost made her forget about her troubles with Greg. It read,

_Gabriella,  
Meet me at the rooftop gardens before school. As in, now. Just because we can't talk to each other in the open, doesn't mean we can't meet in private.  
-Troy_

She chuckled softly and folded the note into her pocket. Looking both ways, as if crossing the street, to make sure Greg was no where in sight, she hustled to the doorway and made her way to their secret hiding place.

Coming around the railing, Gabriella saw Troy sitting alone on the bench, staring out over all of Albuquerque. She called out to him.

"Hey, you wanted to see me?"

Troy smiled and beckoned for her to sit with him. She obliged.

"Yeah, you know with your boyfriend's bipolar fits we never get to see each other anymore."

Gabriella playfully hit him on the arm. "Hey! He's not bipolar! He's just... overprotective. I'm sorry he won't let me talk to you. I miss you, if that's any consolation."

Troy smiled. "It is. I miss you too."

And for a moment, they sat there, soaking in the feeling of oblivious love. Each of them were aware of the feeling in themselves, but not in the other. Plus, Gabriella wouldn't be able to get herself out of the relationship she was currently in that easily...

"So, how've you been? I don't think I've ever gone this long without talking to you." Gabriella inquired.

"I've been okay. Kinda bored at times, but you know. I'm alright. What about you? He hasn't hurt you yet, has he?"

Gabriella shifted nervously and hugged her jacket closer to her. "Um... no. Not yet."

Troy sensed otherwise, but didn't pursue it. "If he ever hurts you, Gabby, come find me and I'll beat the crap out of him."

"Thanks," Gabriella smiled, giving Troy a hug. "I will."

The homeroom bell rang at that split second, and the two rushed down the metal stairs and back into the school. However, they were in no rush to get to homeroom. They were met at the door by none other than Greg Sanderson.

"Gabriella, what are you doing with him?" He sneered, taking a bruising hold of her arm and pulling her away from Troy.

"Nothing, Greg. Honestly, we were just talking." Gabriella winced from the pain in her arm, but tried to tell Troy she was okay.

He didn't get the message. "Leave her alone, Greg. Let go of her."

Greg turned back to Troy. "Don't you talk to me! Who the hell do you think you are? You are a scumbag, you stupid basketball shit! Leave me and my girlfriend alone!!!"

Troy, seemingly unfazed by this tone, tried again. "You don't have to act like that. Just leave her alone. She's comple-"

"Shut the hell up! Will you just go the hell away?!?!"

Gabriella looked at Troy, frightened. "Just go Troy. I'll be okay."

Troy knew she couldn't handle this guy on her own. He could tell by the way her voice shook when she spoke. But he also knew there was no use in letting him swear him into oblivion. Troy mouthed an "I'll call you later" to Gabriella before leaving the scene.

"What did I tell you about talking to basketball shit, huh? Didn't I tell you that you couldn't talk to him? Huh? Didn't I say that?" Greg shouted, thrashing Gabriella from side to side.

"Yes! Yes, you said that. I'm sorry, I really am. Please stop this." She begged, beginning to cry. Yes, he had acted like this before, but it had never been this bad.

It was then when she noticed a long red slash down his wrist. He had cut himself.

"Wh-wh-what's that?" She asked, motioning to the cut.

He stared into her eyes, his gaze overpowering. "You see this?? You, Gabriella, are my everything. You are my angel. I would _die_ for you."

This beyond sickened her, but she didn't say anything. He shoved her away, and she gathered her books and headed to homeroom.

What a way to start school. It was going to be a long week.

* * *

Troy sat through his fifth period global history class in a daze. He was not listening to Mr. Mason ramble on about the Spanish Inquisition; his mind was on another war. Gabriella versus Greg. He was unbelievably worried about her, and couldn't concentrate on his surroundings. Letting out an exasperated sigh as the bell rang, Troy stood and gathered his books. He needed to think some things through. Walking down the hallway, he had one destination. The library.

Troy had five minutes before he had to be in his next class, and seeing as it was right next door, he had those five minutes to himself. He closed the door to the library and found himself an aisle to walk through.

Wandering alone in the midst of all the horror and tragedy novels a person could think of, Troy hung his head and shuffled from aisle to aisle. He stopped suddenly as he heard a muffled sound. Was it his imagination, or was someone... crying? No, it couldn't be. No one is in the library at this time. But just the same, he heard a suppressed sob. Troy's heart began to race as his mind thought of all terrible things possible. He rounded the corner, but did not see the expected person. It wasn't who he thought it would be, Gabriella, but instead it was Sharpay.

"Sharpay? Are...are you alright?" Troy asked as he knelt beside the distraught girl. She was hugging her knees to her chest and had her head rested upon them.

"Oh...no, not really. But I'll be okay. Don't worry about me," She tried to smile as she wiped a few tears.

"It's too late, I'm worried," He smiled, placing a comforting arm on her back. "What happened?"

"Zeke broke up with me," She cried. "He figured that it would be better if we were just friends. His parents never really liked me, and my parents thought it was weird that I was dating a guy I used to bash all the time. And since it takes two people to make a relationship work, I decided that he was right. I couldn't keep him past his will."

"I'm sorry Sharpay. I had no idea."

"It's okay. No one knows. It just happened last period." She had stopped crying now, and was just simply glancing around. "But now I don't have a date for the prom. Ridiculous, right?"

Troy shook his head, knowingly. "Not at all. I don't have one either."

Her eyes widened in shock. "Seriously? Mr. Troy Bolton, the playmaker, the hunk, the basketball man? He doesn't have a date?"

He shook his head again, looking down. She saw this was a touchy subject with him, but instead of leaving him alone, she pressed on, itching to know more.

"Why not? I thought, we all thought, you were going with Gabriella?"

"Me too. But she's going with," He cringed. "Greg Sanderson."

"_The_ Greg Sanderson? The "player of all players"?" She questioned.

"Yeah, you know about him too?"

Sharpay took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, yes. He dated my sister, Michelle. She's a sophomore in college this year, but she dated him as a senior in high school. He was a sophomore at the time, but she didn't care. She claimed they were in 'love.' But then he began getting really jealous of all of her friends when she'd blow him off to hang with them. He started verbally abusing her, by calling her a slut and cussing her out all the time. A few months later, he got even more controlling. He wouldn't let her talk to any of her friends any more, and deleted all of their numbers from her contact list on her cell phone."

Troy's heart sank. Inside sources told him Greg was doing the same thing to Gabriella.

"But it got worse. He then began to abuse her. He would choke her, hit and kick her, and even try to get her in bed with him. He succeeded, actually, and raped her within a few weeks."

Troy was stunned. "R-r-raped?"

Sharpay nodded solemnly. "Yeah. She turned him in, of course, and he was suspended from school for three months. But no one ever had the courage to turn him in again. If they did, he would be gone from this school forever. The only reason he wasn't expelled is because the school board thought it only happened once. And even though it didn't, they don't know that."

Troy gave Sharpay a hug, which surprised her. "What's that for?"

"Thank you so much, Sharpay. I really needed this information."

"Well, you're welcome, but this is not the reaction I expected." She gave him a smile. "Wow, see what you do, Bolton? You managed to get my mind off of Zeke for awhile."

He smiled back at her and helped her off of the floor. "Is that a good thing?"

"Kinda. I did need a distraction, so..." Sharpay looked around, and then at the clock on the wall. "Whoa! Troy, we wasted half of sixth period! Oh shit, that means I missed my science exam! Crap, I gotta get out of here. Thanks for talking with me Troy."

"You're welcome, Sharpay. It was nice talking to you."

She turned to leave, but then Troy got an idea, and called out to her.

"Wait, Sharpay?"

She turned to look at him. "Yeah?"

"Well, since you don't have a date for the prom, and I don't have one either, do you want to...go with me? Just as friends, mind you, but...I don't know, I guess- "

"Troy, I'd love that."

"Really? As friends, though, right?"

She laughed at his anxiety. "Of course. Platonically speaking."

"Okay. Then it's a date...er...plan."

"Yeah, a plan." She walked away once more, but then turned again. "Oh, and Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"I believe I can help you get Gabriella back."


	5. Ch 5: It's Not All Fun and Games

**Hey guys! I'm really sorry it took me like two weeks to update, but I had some pretty bad writer's block and a dance competition, so forgive me! If anyone was wondering, we got all Gold's at our competition! That's pretty good! Anyway, this chapter makes me smile. I don't know why, I just think it's good. But that doesn't speak for you, ahahahahah.**

**I own no one and nothing. Except the plot. The movie is Disney's and Greg, Hannah, and Christina are fictional. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5: It's Not All Fun and Games

"Hey Gabriella!" Kelsi excitedly approached her friend the next afternoon. "What time should Jason and I pick you up tonight?"

Gabriella pulled away from her locker, confused. "What? What's going on tonight?"

Kelsi laughed slightly. "The carnival is in town Gabby! Remember last week when I asked you if you wanted to go with us?"

Gabriella glanced at her calendar located in the back of her locker. It was indeed May second, and she did have 'Carnival with Kelsi!' penciled in the little square. She sighed and closed her locker, resting her forehead on the cool metal door and softly closing her eyes.

"Well, you don't have to go, I guess. I just thought- "

"No Kels, I want to go. I really do, but I'm not sure if Greg will let me go. What do I do?"

"Don't tell him you're going. Say you're going to be staying up late studying for your... history exam and you can't be bothered by late night calls." Kelsi suggested, but Gabriella looked skeptical.

"I don't know if he'll believe me."

Kelsi rested a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "He's an idiot, he'll believe you."

The two laughed and walked down the hallway, finding their ninth period destination: Spanish. It was Gabriella's favorite class, being because she was mostly Latina. She took her seat in between Kelsi and a cheerleader named Christina. A few seats in front of her sat Hannah Sanderson, Greg's younger sister. Gabriella shuddered and opened her workbook.

"Hey Gabriella, are you going to the carnival tonight?" Christina asked from next to her.

"Yeah, I'm going with Kelsi and a few others. Are you?"

Christina nodded and her long blonde hair bounced up and down on her shoulders. "I'm going with Hannah, we should totally meet up!"

Gabriella smiled, but was clearly uninterested. "Um, I don't know. I'll have to see."

Just then the teacher interrupted the two, looking sternly at them through her thick glasses lenses.

"Chicos y chicas, Sacan la tarea, por favor. Pagina cientos vienticuatro en el cuaderno de tareas."

The rest of the class went well. Gabriella received her exam, and found she got a one-hundred. No surprise there. But the whole time Gabriella was thinking about what Christina had said. If she was going with Hannah, and knew that Gabriella was going, she could tell Hannah, who would tell Greg that she was actually at the carnival. But then again, she wasn't _really_ friends with her, so why would she bother talking to Hannah about her? Gabriella's mind worked differently than most.

The bell rang and she quickly exited the room, avoiding further questioning from Christina. Halfway to her locker someone caught her by the arm.

"Gabriella!" Kelsi's voice rang out, her hand reaching for Gabriella's arm.

Gabriella winced as Kelsi's hand covered a rising bruise that had not been there a few days ago. "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to know what time. You never did answer me."

"Oh, sorry Kels. Um, how about 6 o'clock?"

"Okay! I'll see you then! It's gonna be a blast!"

Gabriella smiled unconvincingly. "Yeah, it'll be fun."

"Gabriella, Troy's gonna be there."

Those five words changed Gabriella's mind.

* * *

It was 6:00. Gabriella stood outside on her porch looking for Jason's car. She shivered as a cool spring breeze ruffled her clothing. Tucking a curl behind her ear, she saw a car pull into her driveway. Gabriella smiled and yelled a quick good-bye to her mother before climbing into the car.

Jason was in the driver's seat, because it was his father's car, Kelsi was seated next to him, fixing her hair in the mirror, and she, Gabriella, was seated next to Troy.

"Hey Gabriella. Ready to have fun?" Troy smiled, lifting his gaze from the floor of the car to her chocolate brown eyes.

She smiled back. "Yeah, I think so."

They arrived at the carnival only a few minutes later. The air was filled with the smell of popcorn and sausage heroes and little kids littered the park. Mothers and fathers frantically ran about to find the children who were running amok, but were not prevailing. Gabriella smiled at the children, wishing her life was as easy as theirs.

"Alright, I don't know where Kelsi and Jason ran off to, Taylor and Chad just made a beeline for the ring toss game where you win goldfish, and Sharpay and Ryan are headed towards the Ferris wheel." Troy informed her, holding a booklet of brightly colored stickers. "But the good news is, Kelsi left me with half of her tickets, so we can still have fun without them."

"Okay, sounds like fun! What do you want to do?" Gabriella asked, looking around at the rides, food stands, and gift booths.

"I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"Let's... go on the giant slide! I used to love that as a child!"

Troy looked hesitant at the slide that was towering twenty feet above his head. "Gabriella, are you sure you want to go on _that_?"

She laughed at his expression. "Is the Wildcat superstar _afraid_?"

"No, not afraid," He smiled, playing along. "Just... scared. But I'll do it if you want to."

"Great! Let's go!" Gabriella grabbed his hand and they ran through the crowds to the giant slide before them.

Troy and Gabriella rode that slide until their bottoms hurt from the impact of the bumps and hills. They rode the roller coaster until they were near vomiting, the Tilt-A-Whirl until they were disoriented, and had gone on the Ferris wheel so many times they had memorized the placement of Albuquerque's public places. The haunted house was cheesy, but since they had enjoyed every second of it, they didn't care that the mummy was really wrapped in toilet paper and Freddy Kruger's blood was really only ketchup. Now, physically drained, they headed towards the games.

"Oh my god, was that not the most fun thing in the world?" Gabriella spoke of the fun house they had just exited. "I loved the distorted mirrors. I looked so short!"

"I'd rather look short than fat. I wanted your mirror!" Troy complained. "I looked like a sumo wrestler."

Gabriella laughed and the two stood before a game of darts. Upon the back wall, balloons hung, filled with paint and ready to be knocked down. Hit three and you won a keychain or a light up pen. Hit five and you won a small prize, such as a small stuffed animal or a bouncy ball. Hit ten and won a large prize, like a huge stuffed animal or a basketball. But the trick was, each hit had to be consecutive. And you were blindfolded.

"Oh man, last year Chad dared me to play this, remember?" Troy reminisced.

"Ha ha, yeah! You won that smiley face keychain you so graciously gave to me." Gabriella teased.

Troy looked at her with a grin on his face that no one could master. "Uh, excuse me? You still have that keychain, do you not?"

Gabriella blushed. "Well... yeah. I do. But... okay Troy. Prove me wrong. Play that game, and win something useful!"

Troy laughed, but took on her challenge. He was blindfolded in an instant, and was kicking butt at the game tonight. He had already hit seven balloons, sending paint splattering across the board. He was on a roll.

"Troy, don't quit! You're doing so great!" Gabriella cheered from next to him.

He successfully popped another balloon, hitting Gabriella with a few splats of yellow paint. She squealed.

"Sorry, did I get you with that?" He asked

"Yeah, but it's no big deal. Keep going!"

Just then, Hannah and Christina made their way up to her.

"Gabriella! We've been looking for you!"

Gabriella frowned. "Oh, hey girls. What's up?"

Hannah stepped forward. "Actually, Greg was looking for you. He said that you were studying tonight. What are you doing here?"

Gabriella bit her lip. "Uh, well, I realized that... my history test... it's um... not till next week! Yeah, so I didn't have to study yet."

Hannah smiled. "Oh, well then you can hang out with Greg! I'll tell him you're here."

"Oh that's okay, Hannah. Don't trouble yourself looking for him in this crowd." Gabriella tried desperately to get her to leave her alone.

Hannah only shrugged. "It won't be a trouble at all. He's right there." She pointed towards the entrance to the roller coaster.

Gabriella's heart sank. She had to get out of there. And fast.

"Gabriella I won!" Troy smiled, taking off his blindfold.

"Good job Troy," Gabriella was nervously twisting a strand of hair between her fingers and looking around for an escape.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh... yeah! Can we go?"

Troy looked confused. "Um, sure. But look I won this for you!"

Gabriella smiled as he handed her a large teddy bear. "Thank you."

"Greg! Over here!" Hannah shouted to him.

Gabriella grabbed Troy's hand and they ran out of sight. Troy, utterly confused, followed her, but had no idea why. When they slowed, he noticed she was crying.

"Gabriella, what's wrong? We were just having so much fun, and then we needed to run. What's the matter?"

"Greg's here. And he's looking for me." She cried.

Troy's fists clenched. "Okay, um... we have to find some kind of hiding place."

"You're going to help me?"

"Gabriella, you're my best friend. And you're in trouble. Of course I'm going to help you." Troy hugged her.

"Okay, well then we've gotta go 'cause he's right there." Gabriella pointed behind Troy to where Greg stood. He noticed the two and took off for them. Gabriella screamed and she and Troy ran for their lives.

Weaving in and out through hordes of people, Troy and Gabriella sprinted for all they were worth. There was no way Troy was going to let Gabriella get hurt again. He looked around for spots he could take her, but found nothing. Looking over his shoulder he gave Gabriella a reassuring smile, but her face was etched with extreme terror.

Suddenly he noticed a maintenance building behind the haunted house. It looked semi-safe, and Greg wouldn't know they were there. Plus, no one was around to see them anyway. He pried the door open and shoved both of them inside.

Finding the light switch, they sat down, Gabriella still crying. Troy hugged her close to him and whispered comforting words to the shaken girl.

"Hey shh...Gabriella. He can't get you in here. You're going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay."

She gulped. "No. No it's not. It's not okay, and it never will be okay. I keep telling myself this is going to get better. I keep wishing and thinking that somehow, some way, someone is going to love me. I keep hoping it's going to be yo- Greg. But... he's just getting worse with time."

"Gabriella, I hate to say I told you so, but..." He trailed off.

She shook her head. "No, you're right. You told me that he was going to act like this. You said that Greg Sanderson had a bad reputation and that I wasn't safe with him. But I told myself that you were lying. I convinced myself that I could handle it all. But do you know what Troy?"

"What Gabriella?"

Gabriella said nothing. She peeled off her sweater to reveal bruises, cuts, sores, and welts up and down her arms. Troy was speechless.

"I can't handle it."

"Gabriella, it's okay to admit these things. And I'm really glad you told me." Troy hugged her again, trying desperately to calm her down.

"No, Troy. You can't tell anyone. Please don't tell anyone. Please," She begged.

"Why wouldn't you want to rat him out? Gabriella, he won't hurt you if you get him in trouble."

"I know," She swallowed hard. "But I just can't do it. I feel like he's just going to find some way to get back at me if I break up with him. He would too, because he's told me before."

Troy tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "What did he say to you?"

"He told me that if I broke up with him he'd either kill himself or kill me. He keeps saying he's going to change because he, quote unquote, loves me. Why doesn't he ever change?"

"I-I don't know, Gabriella. But I don't think you should stay with him any longer. It's not healthy. You're just going to get yourself hurt far worse than you are right now."

Gabriella only nodded, but she didn't agree to anything. There wasn't a way possible that she could break up with him without a repercussion. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Troy and Gabriella froze.

"Hey... guys, I know you're in there. You can come out now, it's just me and Taylor right now." The voice belonged to Chad.

Troy motioned for Gabriella to stay put, and stepped out of the shed. "Hey man, is Greg gone?"

"Yeah, he, Hannah, and Christina just left. Gabriella's with you, right? Is she okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she's fine. Now. How did you know we were in there?"

"Kelsi and Jason saw you running away from Greg. They assumed you would be in some place private."

"Okay, let's go home then. We've been here for awhile and I think Gabriella's drained."

Chad nodded and he and Taylor made their way to the car. Troy opened the shed again, revealing a frightened Gabriella, who let out a yelp when the door opened.

"Hey, it's okay. It's just me. That was Chad and Taylor. Greg's gone and you're safe. We're gonna go home now."

Gabriella sighed with relief and gave Troy a hug. "Thank you so much for helping me Troy. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I'd do anything for you Gabriella. I promised I'd keep you safe."

They walked to the car in silence. The carnival was dying down, lights were being turned off, and people were all heading to their cars. Troy turned to Gabriella, who was clutching the stuffed bear and staring at the ground.

"How often does Greg... hurt you?"

Gabriella looked up at him with hurt filled eyes. "Every day."

The whole car ride Troy and Gabriella remained silent. Jason and Kelsi had tried numerous times to include them in their conversation about the carnival, but they wouldn't have it. Troy was too worried about Gabriella's welfare to even come remotely close to talking. Greg was hurting her, beating her, every day. She had only just told him, and he was terrified for her. Troy glanced over at Gabriella, who was now asleep against the window, the stuffed teddy bear still in her arms. Troy smiled and leaned over and kissed her forehead. And then something hit him.

Because she was with him, Gabriella didn't get beaten tonight.


	6. Ch 6: Mall Madness

**Hey guys! Sorry it took me like a week to update. THANK YOU SO MUCH for your reviews! I love you all for sticking with this story!!**

**I kinda own the plot. And I wished I owned High School Musical. God, do you know how much I'd be making if I did?**

* * *

Chapter 6: Mall Madness

Troy awoke the next morning, immediately regretting the second he opened his eyes. The morning sun seemed to burn his skin, piercing through the remnants of his sanity. He didn't want to deal with school this morning. With a groan, Troy rolled over, the sheets still pulled close to his shoulders.

There was a soft rustling in the kitchen, and a few voices Troy could vaguely make out. He recognized that his mother was making omelets- her signature breakfast. Lisa Bolton's omelets were known through the Bolton family to be the best eggs you ever tasted. Troy could smell the eggs frying from his bedroom with the door closed. The sweet aroma of peppers mixed with tomatoes, onions, ham and different kinds of cheeses all wrapped in a savory egg filled the room. Soon, it was more than he could take.

Leaping out of bed, Troy stole a glance at his clock. _9:30? I'm late for school! Shit, dad's gonna kill me!_ He bounded down the stairs, skidding to a halt upon seeing his family enjoying a nice quality breakfast. He stared at them in confusion.

"Good morning Troy! What do you want in your omelet?" Lisa asked, rising from the kitchen table.

"Um, Dad?" Troy questioned his father, ignoring Lisa's question. "Why are you still here?"

"I live here, son." Jack answered simply.

"No I mean, I'm late. You're late. Why are we still here?"

"Troy," Allison smiled, clearly suggesting that she knew something he didn't. "It's Saturday."

Troy just looked at her in disbelief before slapping a hand to his forehead. Feeling confused and a bit inept, he took a seat next to his sister, who laughed but patted him on the back in sympathy. The phone rang at that very second, and Lisa placed an omelet in front of Troy.

"Don't worry playmaker," Allison consoled, getting up to answer the phone. "I've done that before."

"Glad to know you can be an idiot sometimes too. It must be a Bolton thing." Troy said with a mouthful of eggs, receiving a 'Hey!' from his father.

Allison rolled her eyes playfully. "Hello?"

"Ally?"

Allison sighed. "Hey Chad."

Troy burst into hysterical laughter, almost knocking over his juice cup in the process. Jack rose, giving his wife a kiss and placed his silverware in the sink. Still laughing, Troy tried to swallow without choking. Since middle school, Chad had had a crush on Allison, but she had always thought he was weird and annoying. When she was in eighth grade and the boys were in sixth, Chad had even tried to kiss her. This didn't go unpunished, and Allison had left him with a few bumps and bruises. And one noticeably large red mark across the face.

"So how've you been?" Chad asked anxiously

"Alright. College is much better than high school," Allison answered, considerably uninterested.

"Great! I can't wait to see you again."

"That's nice, Chad. Um, Troy's right here. Let me give you to him." Allison handed the phone to Troy, who was still laughing. She smacked him over the head. "This kid doesn't know when to quit."

Allison left the room, mumbling something about Troy needing new friends. Troy sighed, a smile upon his face, as he returned to his phone call.

"What's up Chad?"

"As much as I hate it, we're going shopping today for tuxes and other stuff. Prom's in two weeks."

"Oh yeah," Troy nodded, remembering. "We're all going, right? I mean you, me, Jason, Zeke, and Ryan?"

"Yeah. And the girls are all going shopping for dresses today too." Chad hinted. "I heard you're going with the Ice Queen, aye?"

"She's not the Ice Queen anymore, Chad. And we're going as friends. Nothing more. She's gonna help me with Gabriella, and I've gotta talk to Zeke for her. She likes him, not me."

"Does uh... Does Gabriella know you're going with her?"

"No."

"And you're not going to tell her?"

Troy sighed. "No."

Chad raised an eyebrow. "Why not?

"I... I don't want her to think that I don't like her."

"Ah, gotcha. Anyway, I don't wanna get all touchy-feely here. I just wanted to make sure you were still coming. Are you ready yet?"

"No, I'm going to get ready now. It shouldn't take too long."

"Okay, pick you up in like twenty minutes?"

"Sure," Troy agreed. "Later."

"See ya man."

Troy hung up the phone and handed in his plate and silverware to his mother, who was scouring dishes. He thanked her for breakfast and headed to his room to greet the day.

Before getting dressed, Troy began to re-evaluate his "date" for the prom. Was going with Sharpay really a good idea? _This would be so much easier if I had gotten my act together and asked Gabriella in the first place. I don't want to go with Sharpay. I want to go with her._ He flipped the switch on his stereo. _Maybe some music will clear my mind._

"Gooooood morning Albuquerque! It's a beautiful day today! Skies are sunny and cloudless and it is about 74 degrees out there right now! So if you're not outside, get outside!" The DJ's voice boomed from the radio. "We're gonna start off the day with an old favorite of mine."

Troy watched the radio, anticipating the song that had yet to play. But when it began, Troy knew exactly what it was.

"_I want you... to want... me!_

_I want you to want me  
I need you to need me  
I'd love you to love me  
I'm begging you to beg me_

I want you to want me  
I need you to need me  
I'd love you to love me

_I'll shine up the old brown shoes, put on a brand new shirt  
I'll get home early from work if you say that you love me_

_Didn't I, Didn't I, Didn't I see you cryin'?  
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?  
Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin'  
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?_

_I want you to want me  
I need you to need me  
I'd love you to love me  
I'm begging you to beg me_"

Troy listened as the song continued on and the lyrics filled his mind. _I want you to want me. There. It's that simple. Why couldn't my life be this easy? I couldn't have just walked up to Gabriella and asked her if she wanted to go to the prom with me? I couldn't have just bought her a few flowers and asked her to be my girlfriend? No, and I know why. It's because I'm a coward. And now, she's getting hurt by a guy who she shouldn't be dating in the first place! This is beyond frustrating. I can't stand watching her get hurt. I need her. _

"_I want you to want me  
I need you to need me  
I'd love you to love me  
I'm begging you to beg me_

_I want you to want me  
I want you to want me  
I want you to want me  
I want you to want me..._"

Not being able to stand it any longer, Troy turned off his radio and sat upon his unmade bed. Not only did he need her, he wanted her. It was a simple as that pop song. He wants her to want him.

Now why didn't she see it?

* * *

"Ugh, Gabriella, green is out of style this season," Sharpay scowled upon the flowing earthy dress that the brunette had chosen.

"Sharpay, in case you haven't noticed," Kelsi called from behind a closed dressing room door. "Gabriella looks amazing in green."

Gabriella grinned. "Thanks Kels. But I don't know. I don't know if I like it enough."

Taylor appeared from another dressing room clad in a stunning dark blue gown that grazed the floor as she walked. It looked beautiful on her, and she knew it was what she wanted.

"Don't be silly Gabby. That dress is so pretty. Just like mine. And I'm gonna get this one."

"Yeah, and besides, you can't listen to everything Sharpay says." Stephanie, Ryan's date for the prom, smiled, stepping into view in a sexy red gown.

"Hey!" Sharpay squealed. The five girls laughed, and Gabriella remembered that this is how it's supposed to be. Fun, laughter and happiness. No pain, cussing, or fear. She loved spending time with her friends. They were the concrete of her weakening stamina.

"So uh... are ya gonna buy it?" Taylor asked, now back in her original clothing and now holding the dark blue dress she was ready to purchase. Kelsi followed suite, clutching her strapless baby blue gown with the sewn-on flowers, giving Gabriella the same questioning look.

"I actually really like it on you, Gabster. I just don't think it's in style." Sharpay suggested, her baby pink dress nestled softly in her arms.

"Sharpay look at her. She glows." Kelsi whispered.

Gabriella loved this dress. She wanted to purchase it so badly. The only thing that stood in her way was that she didn't want Greg to get any ideas. He had pushed her into sexual activity before, but she was able to talk him out of it. If he sees her in this dress, however, she might be unsafe with him. And to tell anyone the truth, the person she saw herself with in this dress was actually Troy.

"So...?"

"Alright," Gabriella grinned amongst all her friends. "I'll buy it."

After meeting up with the guys in the food court, the gang settled in the uncomfortable wooden chairs to consume their lunches. Taking up about three tables with the size of their party, the friends laughed as the struggled to combine the chairs and tables while also juggling their bags. Security officers looked at them in disapproval, but nothing could rain on their parade today.

"So, did you get a tux?" Gabriella asked Troy, swirling a French fry around in some ketchup.

"Yup. We rented the last few in the store. People must really go shopping early for these things."

"Yeah I guess so." Gabriella replied quietly.

Troy sensed there was something wrong, as she was never usually this quiet- especially with him. "Um, what does your dress look like?"

Gabriella gave him a shy smile. "You'll have to wait two weeks to see it, Bolton."

Troy pouted, playfully. "But I'm your bestest friend."

Laughing, Gabriella threw a French fry at him. "I know. But surprises are good for the soul."

"Yeah, whatever," Troy grinned. "Are you going to the before-prom gala?"

"The what?"

"The pre-prom gala is a huge party the seniors throw for the juniors a week before prom. It's kinda like a welcoming into the senior year. It gets the juniors ready for prom and excited about their upcoming year "ruling the school." It's a lot of fun."

"And you know this...how? When were you a junior before this time?" Gabriella teased

"Allison told me about. She said it's a great opportunity."

"Well, then I guess I'm going. I didn't know about it, but I'm sure it'll be fun!"

"It will be," Troy said adamantly. "I'm sure it will."

"And what am I supposed to wear to this 'gala'?"

"It's semi-formal."

"So... a dress?"

"Yup."

"Cool," Gabriella smiled. "Is everyone going?"

"Probably."

"Oh," Gabriella frowned. "That probably means Greg will want to go."

"I'm sorry Gabriella. I mean, it's not mandatory. If you don't wanna go-"

"No! I think it sounds like fun! And I'm not gonna let Greg ruin my junior year." Just then Gabriella's cell phone broke into their conversation, singing 'Girlfriend' by Avril Lavigne at full capacity.

"Hello?" Gabriella answered. "Oh, yeah. Sure, I'll get them. Yeah we got our dresses and they're so pretty! Okay, we're coming. Bye mom." Turning to the other girls, Gabriella stood, gathering her things. "My mom's here, guys. Let's go."

The girls stood, collecting their bags, purses and accessories and bid their farewells to the guys. Gabriella and Taylor had a long talk about the prom and the gala. It was going to be the two greatest weekends of their young high school lives. Or so Gabriella hoped.

Climbing into the car, Gabriella tucked the dress onto the hanger provided on the roof of the car. She flipped on the radio, a growing habit of hers, to her favorite station. DJ Jason was taking in requests and young boy was on the radio.

"And what's your song request?" The DJ's strong voice blasted through the radio.

"Uh, can you play 'I Want You to Want Me' by Cheap Trick? I heard it this morning on another station and it really reminds me of the situation I'm in." The boy, at least sixteen, answered.

"You don't say? And what's that?"

"Well, I really like this girl, but she already has a boyfriend. Except her boyfriend is really malevolent and cruel to her, and she doesn't deserve that. She also doesn't see that I like her."

"Do you want her to want you?" DJ Jason asked

"Yeah, I do." The boy answered, seemingly unafraid.

"Well then, do enjoy this next song!"

"_I want you... to want... me!_"

Gabriella froze. She loved this song, truly she did. But her mind we somewhere else as this song played on. _This song is the story of my life too_, she thought._ Wow, me and that boy must have a lot in common._ And then she thought of something.

She knew that voice. She would know it anywhere. People say you sound completely different over the radio, but he didn't. His voice was just as soft, gentle, and smooth as it always was. It wasn't some random kid who called up to complain about his crush problems.

It was Troy.


	7. Ch 7: Montez Moments

**Hey guys! It's now 12:12 in the morning, but I worked all night on this and I had to get it posted! If not, all my hard work would go to waste wouldn't it? Once again THANK YOU SO FREAKIN' MUCH! for your reviews! I got like 30 for each chapter. And 165 reviews for 6 chapters is AMAZING. THANK YOU!!**

**I would like to make a special shout-out to Tiffany. If you're reading this and aren't going to review, then just know that I'm going to disown you. :)**

**I own nothing. I kinda sorta own the plot, and the family members I completely made up. Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Chapter 7: Montez Moments

Gabriella stared at the radio, unable to make a movement. Did she just hear what she thought she just heard? Was Troy really talking about her? She still was speechless, and glanced back at her friends.

"Was that...?" Sharpay started.

"Yeah," Gabriella whispered.

"Was he talking about...?" Taylor asked.

"Uh huh," Gabriella breathed.

"Are you...?" Kelsi questioned.

"Most definitely," Gabriella smiled.

"Do you feel...ya know, the same way?" Stephanie asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

Gabriella looked back at her friends, who were as surprised yet excited as she was. Troy Bolton liked her. This was amazing! But one thing stood in the way. Greg.

"Of course I do," Gabriella sighed, falling back against the cool fabric of the car seat. "But what about Greg?"

"What about him, Gabriella? Look, there's like, plenty of girls who don't have dates to the prom yet. I'm sure he could find someone else. Break up with him, Gabby. He's doing you no good." Sharpay explained.

"I can't do it, Sharpay. He's too controlling. Do you know what will happen if I break up with him?"

"Do you know what will happen if you don't?" Taylor questioned right back.

The rest of the car ride was spent with Gabriella in deep thought. Her mother dropped off the other four girls and pulled into their own driveway. Gabriella, still lost in her own mind, didn't even get out of the car. In fact, she was in such a trance that her mother had to honk the car horn to get her attention.

"Gabriella! For Christ's sake, what is going on with you?" She asked worriedly.

"Nothing mom, sorry. I was just thinking, that's all." Gabriella apologized, hurriedly getting out of the car. "What is it you wanted?"

"I was just reminding you that you agreed to help me with dinner tonight. The family's coming in, so it's gonna be pretty crowded around here."

"Oh yeah," Gabriella remembered, somewhat disappointed. "I'll help but let me put my dress and stuff away."

She hurried up the stairs to her bedroom, slightly miffed and a little uneasy. As much as she loved her family, she _hated_ when they came to visit. Her aunt and uncle had too many kids; it was hard to keep track of them all. Her grandmother was in a retirement home and rarely visited on account of her grandfather dying a few years ago. And what was the topic during every family meal? Her father.

"Mom, I really don't wanna talk about Dad tonight." Gabriella complained, adding more tomatoes to the salad she was preparing.

"I don't either, Gabriella, but you know that's what Aunt Val likes to talk about. She thinks she's doing the right thing by providing sympathy." Maria said, stirring the boiling pot of spaghetti sauce on the stove.

"Why are they coming anyway?"

Maria gave her daughter a look. "I guess you forgot your own mother's birthday, huh?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully. "No! I already got your present! I just... I don't know, isn't it weird to fly all the way from Maryland to New Mexico just for a couple of days?"

"Gabby, they're the only family we have left." Maria pointed out.

"I know. But what am I gonna do tonight? I have no real connection with any of the kids."

"I know, dear they're too young. But they're still your cousins and-" Maria was cut off by the doorbell. "Will you get that please?"

Gabriella trudged into the foyer, annoyance clearly etched on her face. Opening the door to reveal her family, she immediately covered her displeasure with a smile. "Hey guys! Come on in!"

Her Aunt Valerie and Uncle Mike strolled in, their five children in tow. "Gabriella it's wonderful to see you!"

Gabriella gave her Aunt a hug. "Great to see you too, Aunt Val." To the sleeping infant in her arms, she cooed, "You too, Annabelle."

"Hi Gabriella!!! I missed you so much!!!" Her five-year-old cousin Stephanie screeched.

"Hi Steph, I missed you too. You know what? I have a friend named Stephanie. I think I'm gonna get confused between you two."

Stephanie beamed. "You do?"

"Yup," Gabriella smiled, ushering her and her Aunt and Uncle into the kitchen. She turned to her other cousins. "And how are you Lizzie?"

"I'm pretty good, Gabriella. I'm gonna be in sixth grade next year!" The ten-year-old exclaimed, becoming giddy.

"Wow, you're really growing up!" Elizabeth scurried after her parents and younger siblings.

Gabriella then turned to her seven-year-old cousin Alexander, who was holding the hand of his younger brother, Zachary, being only two. "Hey guys. Are ya hungry?"

"Really hungry. Airplane food is so yucky!" Alex said, making a face.

"Yucky yucky," Zach echoed.

Gabriella laughed and took Alex's free hand, leading them into her kitchen. Soon after, everyone was enjoying a nice family meal, and Gabriella wasn't thinking about how much she dreaded family togetherness. Until the next question.

"So Gabriella," Valerie began, swallowing a mouthful of spaghetti. "How are you holding up? You know, being without a father and all in a new place?"

Gabriella, suddenly not feeling hungry, swirled her fork around in her noodles. "Um, I don't know. Okay I guess."

"It was so awful for him to have left you like that. I mean what kind of cold hearted man-"

The phone rang and Gabriella leapt up to get it, despite her protests from her mother.

"Hello?" Her voice shook when she spoke.

"Hey Gabriella. Did you get your dress for prom?" Greg's husky voice came through the phone.

She winced at his harshness. "Yes I uh, I got it today."

"And it's not too revealing so some other guy can take you from me?"

Gabriella gulped. "No..."

Greg chuckled with relief. "Good. Now, I can't go to the pre-prom gala this weekend, but I know that you won't go without me, right? Am I clear? You're not to go to the gala without me? Got it?"

"Yes," She obeyed, silently telling herself that she would go no matter what.

"Well then I've got to go. Goodbye, sweetheart. I love you." And with those final words, he hung up.

Gabriella, now completely emotionally drained, sat back down at the table. She couldn't eat after thinking about her father. Or Greg. Or even Troy. She hated dealing with what she didn't have, what she didn't want, and what she couldn't have. Sighing, she brought her plate to the sink, said goodnight to family, and crept upstairs.

There was really no one she wanted to talk to at this moment. Taylor had a double date with Chad, Sharpay, and Zeke tonight, Ryan and Stephanie were with Jason and Kelsi at a film festival, and Troy was out with his family tonight. So truly, if there was anyone she wanted to talk to, she couldn't find anyone anyway.

But Gabriella decided she needed to talk to someone. It was never good to bottle up your feelings inside of you, was it? She grasped her cell phone and hesitated over the buttons. Interrupting a film festival would be cruel, and everyone else's phone would be off in a movie theater. The only one left was...Troy. But she hadn't talked to him since his 'revelation' on the radio.

Whatever. Does it matter know? All she needed was a person to talk to. She clicked 'Call' and the call was made.

He picked up after only one ring. "Gabriella?"

Just hearing his voice made her breakdown. "H-h-hi T-Troy. Can I, um... t-t-talk to yo-you?"

Immediately he became concerned. "Of course you can. Are you alright?"

"N-not really. Um, my family's here and I-" She couldn't continue. Memories flooded through her mind of the earlier night and her father leaving her. She couldn't take it. Hot tears rushed down her cheeks, even though she had told herself not to cry.

"Oh god, Gabriella. Do you want me to come over?"

Gabriella nodded even though she knew he couldn't see her. What's the point? He knew the answer anyway.

Only a few minutes later was she in his arms, where she had always dreamt of being. He understood her, he comforted her. He completed her. She wanted, no she needed him so badly right now. This was her weakness.

After she had calmed a bit, Gabriella pulled away and wiped her eyes, laughing a little at the tear-stained shirt Troy was occupying.

"Sorry about that. I'm sure you really didn't want to be here tonight."

"Oh please, don't be sorry. I love spending time with you," Troy smiled. "And besides, it got me out of eighteen holes of glow-in-the-dark mini-golf. Mom wanted the family to have a good bonding experience again."

Gabriella laughed. "I think that would be fun!"

"Trust me, it's not as fun as it sounds."

"I bet it is," Gabriella replied. "What's the matter? Does the Wildcat Superstar suck at mini-golf?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, he does."

They laughed for a little while before becoming silent. Troy knew she was thinking about him again.

"Don't think about him, Gabby. It'll only bum you out even more."

"I know," She whispered. "But I can't help it. It was around this time a few years ago that it happened. I can't just not think about it."

"Well, you can busy your mind. How about thinking about something fun?"

Gabriella smiled at him. "Like glow-in-the-dark mini-golf?"

Troy smirked. "Very funny, Montez. I'll take you sometime."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Gabriella turned to him and gave him a hug. Not only was he a wonderful best friend, but he always knew how to make her smile. He was everything she ever wanted, and she was everything he needed. Pulling away, she kissed his cheek. It was time to tell him the truth.

"Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"I heard you on the radio today."


	8. Ch 8: Monday Mayhem

**Heyyy! I seem to be having some sort of a theme here. These last three chapters have all started with an "M-M" combo. LOL. "Mall Madness," "Montez Moments," and now "Monday Mayhem." Wow. Ha ha ha.**

**So I guess now that Gabriella knows it was Troy, you'd expect her to break up with Greg and then run off into the sunset with Troy and live happily ever after right?  
Well sorry pal, it doesn't work that way. LOL.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed in the past and to everyone who is going to review in the future. I'm really glad you like my story:)**

**I don't own anything. But I wish I owned glow-in-the-dark mini-golf. Man that'd be so cool!!!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Monday Mayhem

Troy stared deeply at the beautiful brunette before him. She had heard him this afternoon? Was he hearing correctly? _Oh god,_ Troy thought. _She's gonna think I'm the biggest loser. Complaining about my girl troubles on the radio? What the hell was I thinking?_ Troy cleared his throat. _Alright Bolton, just play it cool. _

"What do you mean?"

Gabriella eyed him. "This afternoon, on the radio? That wasn't you?"

Troy looked down. Did he really want to do this? "No."

Gabriella turned away from him, looking out her windows at the luminescent stars in the glassy sky. She felt as though she had just been punched in the stomach. Troy Bolton did not feel the same way as her. That's it. That's how it was going to be. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. It was the end of her fantasy. A fairytale that just wouldn't come true. _Not again,_ she thought. But it was too late.

Troy, however, felt even worse, if that was possible. But it was what was right. She had a boyfriend, and he already had a date to the prom. Sort of. So why did this feel so right? Sharpay was just a friend, and Greg... well, he didn't need to go there.

"Well," Gabriella finally turned around. "It's getting kind of late, and I've gotta get up for church tomorrow, so..." She trailed off, not wanting to say goodbye. Not wanting to let go of this life she wanted so badly. She couldn't bring herself to finish.

Troy smiled at her. "You know, glow-in-the-dark mini-golf is open past midnight. Still wanna play?"

* * *

"You know what I love about this?" Gabriella giggled as she watched Troy try and hit the neon colored ball for the fifth time. 

"The fact that I suck and you can laugh at my every move?"

She smiled. "No. I love how it is pitch black outside, and yet this whole place is covered in lights like we're in Las Vegas. It's so cool."

Troy grinned. He loved to see her happy. And it wasn't something he saw everyday anymore. The fact that he caused her happiness was even more rewarding.

"It is cool. It would be even cooler if I could get this stupid ball past that stupid cannon and into that stupid hole. Why is this so hard?"

"Well maybe because your swing is off. Here, let me." Gabriella positioned him and held his arms in the correct swinging motion. "Okay, now take it back... aim... and hit it."

The ball rolled rapidly past the cannon, over under the bridge, and made a beeline for the cup. It circled the rim a few times before rolling in. Gabriella beamed.

"There. Hole-in-one."

Troy gaped at her in awe. "You're amazing. Where did you learn this?"

"We took golf lessons last summer. While you were in Canada, Taylor, Chad, Ryan and I all took private golf lessons. Believe me, I was worse than you before I took them. I mean, if that's possible," She teased.

"Hey!" Troy exclaimed, poking her in the side. She gasped and burst into laughter. This is what a real relationship is supposed to be about. Love and laughter. What makes up their relationship.

If only they could see it.

* * *

9th Period Spanish. Why was it such a dread? 

Gabriella sighed and tried to tune out Christina's incessant chatter about the pre-prom gala. She used to love Spanish, truly she did. But now, Hannah and Christina were just too much. _It's Monday, and way too early in the week for this_, Gabriella thought.

"... and it's got these really pretty sequins on it and ribbons that lace up the back and it's sparkly and I just love it so much and I can't wait for this weekend..."

_Please stop talking_, Gabriella silently begged. _That's all I ask_.

"El preterito de los verbos irregulares. Listos chicos?" Senora Vasquez rambled on in Spanish. Gabriella just prayed for the bell to ring. It was Monday. Drama Club day.

Now, Drama Club ended a few months ago after the spring musical. But, according to Miss Darbus, "One must not detach itself from the creative mind too long. He or she must be in contact with it every single day." The theater is the way she decided to do it.

Finally, the bell gave in to Gabriella's excessive wishing, and its shrill sound filled the room. Gabriella raced out as fast as she could, trying to avoid Christina before she could say anything else about her "oh so perfect" dress.

"Gabriella!"

_Oh no_.

"Hey Gabriella! I have great news!" Hannah skipped over to her excitedly.

Gabriella had just closed her locker. If only she had run away fast enough. One Sanderson in her life was enough. Did she really need his sister too?

"Oh really? Like what?" She decided to be the nice Gabriella. It was the one everyone was so used to anyhow.

"Greg can go to the pre-prom gala! He said he's really excited to be going with you. Aren't you happy?"

Gabriella's heart sank. Just when she thought she was safe. "Oh of course! Tell him I'll see him there!"

Hannah smiled. "Oh, you can tell him yourself. Here he comes!"

Gabriella knew better than to stick around. Pretending to know a random person in the crowd, she fled off into the distance, leaving Greg and Hannah behind.

She was practically sprinting when she reached the auditorium. _Phew_, she panted, stopping to catch her breath. It had been a while since she had done that.

"Just come from a marathon Montez?"

"Shut up Troy."

They laughed and he held the door open for her. She thanked him, and the walked together to the front of the stage. _Drama is so worth it_, he thought.

"Psst...Troy." Gabriella whispered during Miss Darbus' role call. "Guess what?"

"What?" He whispered back

"Greg's going to the gala."

Silence from Troy for a little while as he looked for any kind of emotion on Gabriella's face. She seemed to be taking this really well.

"Are you... alright with this?"

"Yeah, I mean, I don't really care. What's he really gonna do?"

"So, I have absent Mr. Troy Bolton and Miss Gabriella Montez. Is that correct?" Miss Darbus called out, eyeing the two suspiciously in the back.

"No uh, Miss Darbus. We're here." Troy said, a bit embarrassed and Gabriella giggled.

"Right," She cleared her throat. "Okay, well I've acquired some supplies for our winter musical. Let's get to work on that set!"

Groaning, Troy and Gabriella were assigned to paint a staircase. _This should be exciting_, Troy thought, grabbing a bucket of paint and a few paintbrushes.

A half hour later, only the banister was finished. Troy and Gabriella were too busy laughing their guts out over their silly little game.

"Okay okay," Gabriella calmed herself. "It's my turn. Um... what was your most embarrassing moment?"

Troy thought about this one long and hard. Finally, he grinned. "When Sharpay poured a whole tube of glitter all over my head in the second grade."

Gabriella burst into laughter again. "How... did she manage... to do that?"

"Well, we were doing this project on marine life and she wanted me to be her partner. But I said I was going to be partners with Chad. Well she got so mad that she asked our teacher for the glitter, came over to my table, and poured the whole thing on my head. There was glitter in my hair for a week."

"Oh my god... that's so funny!" Gabriella stated, climbing up the staircase with her paint bucket.

"Okay, then my turn. What was _your_ most embarrassing moment?"

"Oh man, I don't know if I even want to talk about this," she smiled. "Well, I was on a date with this boy in seventh grade, the only friend I had made at that school, and he brought me home after we saw a movie. He walked me my door, and leaned in to kiss me, but my sprinklers had turned on! So we went up to my porch, and he tried again, and then the porch lights came on and my dad opened the door and was like, 'Weren't the sprinklers enough to keep you two from doing that?' Thanks to my dad, I didn't kiss him. And I didn't have any friends after that."

Troy laughed. "Well at least you didn't kiss him."

"Hey!" She exclaimed, raising her brush. But as she did, she flung paint at him. It splattered all across his shirt and some reached his face.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so-" But her sentence was cut off by the cool liquid hitting her face as well. Wiping it from her eyes, she glared at him. "Okay Bolton, if that's how you want to play it."

Needless to say, that staircase didn't get painted that afternoon.


	9. Ch 9: Tuesday Troubles

**Heyyy all you wildcats! Lol, that was stupid, I know. I'm sorry I took three million years to get this update up. But to make up for that, I made it extra long. It was like in Arial font, size 10, and 7 and half pages. Ha ha ha! So thank you for all of your amazing reviews! Cuz, holy moly, I have 212 reviews for only eight chapters and a freaking love you guys. Thank you soooo much!!**

**I don't own anything but the plot, but if that wasn't obvious, what is?**

* * *

Chapter 9: Tuesday Troubles

It took one whole bottle of shampoo and two hours in the shower for all of the paint to come out of Troy Bolton's hair. Allison laughed at him, stating that he had taken longer in the bathroom than she ever had, but he just rolled his eyes and grumbled for her to drop it.

This week, to Troy, was dragging on so slowly, he couldn't wait for Saturday, the pre-prom gala. He frowned, remembering that Greg was somehow going to be attending this event. Why? He wasn't even a junior! How had he gotten permission to attend an event that wasn't directed to his class?

There was a knock on his door that morning, and Troy, still lying in bed in his pajamas, didn't bother to answer. He wasn't exactly ready for school, to say the least, and didn't want to hear altercations from his mother.

However, it was not his mother. "Troy? Did you forget what day it is again?" Allison joked.

Troy smiled. "It's Tuesday, right?" Allison nodded and sat upon his unmade bed. Troy sat up, and looked back at her, his eyes pleading for her to tell him that there was something he could do.

"Are you alright, playmaker?" Allison asked anxiously. "You look like there's something important on your mind."

"Why is Greg going to the pre-prom gala?"

Allison scrunched up her nose. "What?"

Troy sighed, knowing he hadn't explained this well enough for her to sort out. "Gabriella told me that Greg is going to the pre-prom gala on Saturday night. But it's supposed to be an event for juniors and he's a senior. So how come he can go?"

Allison smiled. This was about Gabriella. She should've known. "Well, since the seniors throw this big bash for the juniors, any senior can attend. I mean, they planned the whole party, they should be able to attend, right?"

"I guess so."

"But I can understand you not wanting Greg there. Especially around Gabriella. How is she taking this?"

Troy sulked, guiltily. "Better than I am. She doesn't even care."

Allison laughed. "Then why do you?"

"Because I love her."

"Aww!!" Allison squealed. "Playmaker's in love!"

"Shh! Ally please," Troy shushed his sister, closing the door to his bedroom. "That's all I need Dad to hear. It'll be all over the locker room.

"But that's so cute! I knew you liked her, god everyone knew, but I didn't know you loved her."

Troy sighed. At least admitting this felt good. "I do. I can't let Greg hurt her. I don't want her to suffer."

Allison smiled. It was sappy stuff like this that she lived for. "Troy, I know Greg has a bad rep, but you gotta let her live her own life. I mean, he's never really done anything. He just threatens people. And I think she can take care of herself, don't you?"

Ignoring the question, Troy remarked, "Greg raped Michelle Evans."

"Oh," Was Allison's response. "Wow, I uh... I guess I was wrong then."

"Yeah," Troy said, getting up and searching for some clothes to wear. "I know how that feels."

* * *

"Troy Bolton!" Gabriella called, hurrying over to him in mock anger. "It took me three bottles of shampoo to get that paint out of my hair! My mom wants to like, kill me now for wasting ten dollars."

Troy laughed. "Well that never would've happened if _somebody_ didn't start that paint fight yesterday. I bet that someone is very sorry she ever started it."

Gabriella eyed him, stepping closer. "I bet she isn't."

"Are you sure? I think she secretly wishes she hadn't started it but is trying to cover it up while talking to her utterly adorable best friend."

"I really don't think so. I think this somebody is secretly wishing her 'utterly adorable' best friend wasn't so egotistical."

"Ouch Montez," Troy said, backing away from her and placing a hand over his heart. "That hurt."

She laughed. "Well I didn't mean to verbally abuse you, Bolton. I gotta get to English. See you in lunch?"

"Yeah, see you then." Troy bid her farewell and turned to go for himself. Remembering something he had wanted to tell her, he turned around and looked for her in the crowd of Wildcats. Unfortunately, she wasn't hard to miss. Greg had her in a deep, prolonging kiss up against a locker. Clenching his fists, Troy turned away again, determined not to let anyone see how angry or upset he truly was.

Making his way to his Global History class, Troy realized he was no longer in the mood for school. Everything had been okay before, they were talking, joking, laughing- they way they always did. But now... they way he kissed her- it just irked him. Something about Greg's attitude rubbed Troy the wrong way. Maybe it was the way he held her. Maybe it was his incredibly rude personality. Maybe it was Troy's insecurities and insanity.

"Troy?" A voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, hey Sharpay." Troy replied, sitting at his desk as he watched Sharpay do the same. For a split second he had forgotten that the bouncy blonde was in his class.

"Um, I kinda have some bad news." She frowned. "Remember when I told you that I could help you get Gabriella back?"

"Yeah," Troy responded, anxiously awaiting the dreaded news. "And...?"

"I don't think I can do that. I mean, it's not that I don't want to help you, I do, it's just I don't know how. I thought there was something I could do, but when I called Michelle and asked her what to do, she just burst into tears. She really wasn't any help. I'm sorry Troy, I just don't know what to do."

Troy sighed. Wonderful. Another person giving up on him. Was he supposed to get her back alone? "It's alright Sharpay. I'll figure something out."

The whole period he was supposed to be copying notes about the French Revolution was actually spent taking notes on how to win Gabriella for himself. Was it a selfish thing to want your best friend as something more? Or even more, was it a bad thing to take her from someone else?

"Troy?" Mr. Mason asked. "We're waiting for your answer."

"Um... can you repeat the question?"

"What were the Enlightenment principles of France?"

Troy looked down at his note sheet, realizing then that he hadn't taken any notes. "Uh... nirvana?"

"Very funny Troy, but that's from Buddhism. You aren't taking any notes are you?"

"I uh... must've missed that part." Troy said, turning an unruly shade of crimson.

Mr. Mason impatiently told him to start copying down notes or else he wouldn't be able to do the homework. He then called on Sharpay.

"Um, democracy, citizenship, and uh... inalienable rights?"

"Very good, now, in 1794..."

But once again, Troy's mind was not on Napoleon Bonaparte and he couldn't care less what happened during the Napoleonic Wars. How could he stop Greg from trapping Gabriella like this? He had to find a way... and fast. But then he remembered something that Allison had said earlier that morning.

"_Troy, I know he has a bad rep, but you gotta let her live her own life. She can take care of herself."_

But Troy didn't know how true that statement actually was. He had seen the bruises on her arms and all over. Just the mere thought of it made him cringe, wondering how anyone could hurt someone they way he had.

If she really could protect herself, wouldn't she have prevented that?

* * *

The bell rang, freeing Troy from the horror of algebra, his worst class. It was finally seventh period, finally time for lunch and finally time to see Gabriella. He wanted to talk to her anyway. After the much noticed public display of affection before fifth period, Troy was in a rage. Of course he wouldn't show her that- he'd still be the honest, caring best friend he always was.

Well maybe not the honest part. If he was honest he would tell Gabriella that it really _was_ him on the radio and that he loved her more than anything and then they'd live happily ever after.

But like Gabriella had so painfully pointed out last year, fairytales just don't come true.

Upon entering the cafeteria, he immediately spotted the group of people he always ate lunch with. And as per the norm, they all waved him over. Plastering on a grin over his flustered face, he sat down at his usual seat. The one next to Gabriella.

However, she was not present at that given time.

"Hey Troy," Chad greeted as he sat down. "You're late! What's up? Did Paulsen hold you up in Algebra again?"

"No, I was just a little distracted." Troy replied, looking all over the cafeteria. "Where's Gabriella?"

Kelsi and Sharpay shot each other secretive glances which were accompanied by very secretive smiles. Leave it Troy to be worried about Gabriella.

"I don't know, shouldn't you?" Kelsi asked, lifting her sandwich to her mouth.

"She was in Chem last period. She said she had to go talk to Greg and then she'd come right here." Taylor explained, taking a bite of her peach. A few moments later she gesticulated towards the door. "There she is."

Gabriella walked over to the table, tugging on her sleeve. She successfully pulled it over her shoulders, cutting off any sign of skin contact. As she sat down, Troy took a good look at her. She had been crying. Although it was obvious that she had tried clear herself of any evidence of tears, she hadn't done a good enough job. Troy could see right through it.

"Hey guys," She sniffed, taking out her lunch and setting it on the table. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's okay," Taylor smiled, eyeing her suspiciously. Obviously she had noticed that she was crying too. "Are you alright?"

"What? Yeah, it's just these dumb allergies."

Troy took her hand. "Gabriella! I just realized Darbus wants us in the auditorium for lunch today. Remember? Because we didn't finish the stairs?"

Not waiting for a reply, Troy took Gabriella to the secluded hallway in front of the auditorium. It was empty, with it being the middle of seventh period, a perfect place for the two to talk.

"Troy, Darbus doesn't want us here! She's not even here."

"I know, I just wanted to talk to you."

Gabriella sighed. "About what?"

"Well first of all, I know that you were talking to Greg, second of all, it's seventy-eight degrees outside and you don't need a jacket," Troy smirked, gesturing towards the zip-up hoodie that was covering her top half. Gabriella subconsciously hugged it closer to her body. "And third of all... you don't have allergies."

"You're right," Gabriella said, sliding down the wall to come to a sitting position on the floor.

"So, you gonna tell me what happened?" Troy asked, sitting next to her.

"Maybe..." Gabriella contemplated, placing her face in her palms. "I don't know... I don't want to talk about it."

"But it'll make you feel better if you talk about it," Troy soothed, placing a comforting hand on her back.

"I guess so. I don't even know what went wrong," Gabriella began, lifting her head to look at him. "We were talking at my locker, because he told me to meet him there before I went to lunch, and everything was going great. All of a sudden he just got so weird and overprotective and he ended up pinning me to my locker with his hands squeezing my wrists. I was crying, begging him to stop, but he wouldn't cease his grip. He just kept shaking me and..." She couldn't even finish because she was so horrified. A few tears slipped down her cheeks.

Troy wiped them away and held her close to him. _And this is why Greg can't go to the gala_, Troy thought. _I don't want her to be like this on Saturday. He's ruining her life_.

"Gabriella..." He started, but stopped. And for the first time, he realized he didn't have anything to say.

"He kept calling me a stupid bitch. Over and over again he just kept repeating that I was ruining his life... and that he hated me and wanted me to die." Her cries turned to sobs, and soon, she could barely breathe.

Troy held onto her tighter. "He's an asshole, Gabriella. What were you even talking about that could make him say this?"

She pulled away from him. "You."

"Wh-what? Me?"

"Greg was telling me that I couldn't... I couldn't talk to you anymore because I was his... not yours...He's really overprotective... I can't stand it!"

Troy kissed the top of her head as he brought her closer to him again. He whispered comforting words to her as the crying slowly began to cease. Finally after a few minutes of silence, he stood up with her in his arms.

Hugging her closer, if possible, than before, he spoke. "He's an asshole who doesn't deserve you, Gabriella. You deserve someone so much better than that."

"Troy, I love you for always being here for me, you know that right?" Gabriella smiled softly, kissing his cheek.

"I do now. Come on, let's get back to lunch, seeing as we haven't eaten yet and there's only...ten minutes left of the period."

"Oh great," She giggled. "How fast do you think we can eat?"

"I don't know," Troy smiled, taking her hand in his as they walked back to the cafeteria. "But we better make it fast."

* * *

_Note to self_, Troy thought. _When in class, take notes! If you don't, you'll be sitting at your desk staring out the window, trying to remember how the French Revolution began_.

"Playmaker? You're in here right?" Allison called, stepping into his room.

"Yeah Ally, just trying to catch up on some homework."

She smiled and sat across from him on his bed, which was made now. "What's it on?"

"The French Revolution," Troy sighed, chucking his pen across the room. "But I don't feel like doing it."

"Oh I see that," She smiled.

"Ally, I need to talk to you."

"Okay, talk to me playmaker," Allison grinned. "That's what I'm here for."

"Greg is abusing Gabriella and she made me promise not to tell anyone but he's getting really bad and I can't just sit back and watch this pretending I know nothing." Troy took a deep breath, finally letting out his secret.

"Oh wow," Allison gasped, before realizing that was all she could say.

"I don't know what to do. I don't know who to tell..."

Allison placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad you told me."

Troy smiled sadly. "Yeah, but what do I do?"

"I don't know, Troy. I've never been in this position before." Something crossed her mind. "Does Gabriella's mother know?"

"Not that I know of."

Allison looked down. This was a hard one. "I think that her mother needs to deal with this, Troy. But I'm glad you told someone."

"Me too."

"Oh, I almost forgot why I came up here in the first place. Dad wants you to take out the trash." Allison laughed as Troy chased her down the stairs.

"You let me get all sappy on you when really you just came to tell me to take out the trash?" Troy exclaimed, slinging the garbage on his back as if he were Santa Claus. When he came back into the house, Lisa Bolton held the phone in her hand.

"You've got a phone call, Troy," She smiled, waiting until after he had washed his hands. "It's Gabriella."

Troy grinned back and took the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey!" Came the cheery response from the other end. "Do you get this Global homework?"

"Honestly, no. I haven't even started."

Gabriella laughed. "Troy you're such a procrastinator!"

"I know, but once again, if we're being honest, I didn't take any notes today. I don't really have anything to work with here."

"Oh nice job. Tell you what, since it's almost ten o' clock on a school night, let's just call it a day and do this in the morning, okay? In the library? I'll bring my notes, we can use those," Gabriella offered, closing her binders.

"Thanks Gabriella. Sounds great."

"Okay Troy. See you in the morning."

"Good night Gabriella."

_I love you._


	10. Ch 10: Wednesday Wreckage

**Hey guys! Okay, if you are in Eastern Standard Time, you know it's 12:10 right now. But this is how committed I am to my readers. I worked on this chapter for over 12 hours. Why? Because that's how much I love you guys. Thank you so freaking much for the reviews. I know with your help I can reach 300!! It's because of you that this story is still going, seriously. I love it too, don't get me wrong, but I've had others that were total flops because no one reviewed. So a huuuuugeeee thank you to everyone!**

**I don't own anything. Though if I did, I wouldn't need to apply for a summer job right now...  
**

* * *

Chapter 10: Wednesday Wreckage

Sick. Gabriella _never_ got sick.

But today was an exception.

When she rolled over that morning to attempt to turn off her blaring alarm clock, she knew something wasn't right. Her eyes were blotchy red, her throat felt all scratchy and she was congested. When she sat up, she was lightheaded and felt unusually warm. Nevertheless, being the studious young girl she was, she was going to go to school today.

Or so she thought. The minute she walked downstairs her mother knew something was wrong. Maria placed a cool hand on her forehead before yanking it away, claiming she was burning up. She sent Gabriella back to bed immediately, with some cold medicine and a glass of orange juice, much to Gabriella's dismay.

And here she was now, an hour later, lying on the couch after her mother had left for work. The television was on and tuned to an old soap opera she had seen many times before. In front of her on the coffee table was a neglected book of word searches and other puzzles, her thermometer, which told her she had a temperature of 102 degrees, and a few Tylenol tablets.

Gabriella sighed. This was such a waste of a good school day.

Then she remembered something. Troy was counting on her to bring in those history notes. If he didn't have them, he wouldn't be able to finish his homework on the French Revolution. She groaned and pulled her fleece blanket closer to her. He surely would never like her now.

And that was something she really didn't want to think about.

* * *

Waiting. Troy Bolton was waiting.

He kept watching the door of the library, waiting for the familiar brunette to walk in. It had been twenty five minutes and still no sign of Gabriella. Troy was getting worried.

Had she forgotten about him? No, she couldn't have, could she? She needed to finish her homework too. But all the same, what if she had figured it out, finished it, and forgotten about him? Nah, Gabriella wouldn't do that to him. Troy knew her all too well.

Where was she?

Just at that second, the door flew open. Troy whipped his head around to the sound of an entering person, but it was not who he expected. It was Greg. Gathering his confidence, he stood and approached him.

"What the hell do you want, Bolton?" Greg sneered

"Where's Gabriella?" Troy asked, unflinching

Greg laughed cruelly. "Wouldn't you like to know...?"

This left Troy with immense worry as he watched him leave the library in haste. There was only ten minutes left until homeroom, so Troy decided to check every place he thought she'd be. After checking the library once more, the rooftop garden, and the auditorium, he still hadn't found her.

"Hey man, where have you been?" Chad asked when Troy took his place in homeroom a few minutes later.

"Looking for Gabriella." Troy looked over his shoulder. His heart sank when he noticed Gabriella's desk empty.

"I haven't seen her. But you missed basketball practice."

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Basketball season is over."

Chad held his hands up in defense. "Hey, it's your father. I didn't call it. He told us we needed to keep up our skills while basketball season wasn't going on. I suggested we play rugby but he didn't like that idea."

"Ehem," Miss Darbus cleared her throat. "Absent list, I have Jason Cross and Gabriella Montez is that correct?"

"Miss Darbus," Kelsi spoke up. "Jason has strep throat, so he'll be out today and tomorrow. As for Gabriella, I don't know where she is."

_Once again_, Troy thought. _No one knows where she is. I hope she's alright._

* * *

As Troy managed to get through ninth period, all he could think about was Gabriella. He had stopped Greg periodically through the day to ask him where she was, demanding the truth, and every time he got a different answer. Usually it was, 'Not here today, don't you know that?' or 'I'm not going to tell you where she is. Is she _your_ girlfriend?' But the scariest answer he had gotten was, 'I can't tell you that. Someone might get me in trouble.'

That troubled him to no end. Troy approached Greg one last time.

"Look, I don't want to bother you. But seriously, where is Gabriella? I want the truth, not some boldfaced lie."

Greg slammed his locked closed and gripped Troy's shoulders. Hard.

"Look," He spat. "I'm not going to tell you where she is. But let's just say she'll be good and quiet for a long time."

Troy pulled out of his grip and ran for the door. Not really caring about Greg, of course, he was more worried for Gabriella's sake. He didn't take the bus that afternoon; instead he sprinted as fast as he could to Gabriella's house, hoping that she was still okay.

Upon reaching the Montez household, Troy stopped running. He was panting and breathing heavily, but noticed that house looked empty. He sighed. _Oh no..._

Gabriella had been in the middle of slurping down some chicken soup that her mother had left her. She jumped and ended up spilling some on the pristine white couch when the doorbell sounded. Cursing, she stood and walked into the foyer, ready to give the visitor a piece of her mind.

"Gabriella...please tell me you're in there... and alright..." Troy spoke to the closed door, hoping that somehow, some way she had heard him.

Gabriella opened the door, revealing herself to her best friend. Her hair was in a sloppy bun, curls sticking out of the elastic and some hung by her face. She was wearing a thin pink spaghetti strap cami and Victoria's Secret Love Pink blue capris. Her eyes widened in terror as she realized that she looked terrible, her eyes were still red and her nose was still running, but Troy still saw his gorgeous best friend. The one he fell in love with.

"Oh god, Gabriella," Troy breathed a sigh of relief as he snatched her by the shoulders and held her close to him. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Alright? I'm not alright," She laughed slightly as she hugged him back.

Troy pulled away from her. "You're not? What did he do to you?"

"No, I'm really not. I've got a fever, my throat hurts, I'm congested, and I look like crap- wait, who? What did who do to me?"

"Greg... I asked him where you were all day and he just kept telling me that he couldn't tell me where you were or he might get in trouble."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Oh please. He's just making that up. I'm totally fine. Except for this stupid sickness. I guess I can thank Jason, huh?"

He grinned. "Yeah. He started it all. But seriously, I'm glad you're alright. I was really worried about you when you didn't show up this morning. I thought you forgot about me."

"I would never do that," She smiled sincerely. "I'm really sorry. You're going to fail Global History now."

"Hey, it's not your fault you got sick. And it doesn't matter if I fail. I hate Global History."

"But then you'll get kicked off the team, not go to college, become a failure at life... I would hate to be the one held responsible for all of that." She teased.

Troy laughed. "Yeah, I guess that would kind of suck, but hey, you would become a failure with me right?"

Gabriella eyed him. "Yeah right, with my grades? I don't think so."

"Ah, but you don't know if you still have those grades." Troy tapped her nose. "You're taking every AP class ever created and you've missed a day of school. Oh and by the looks of you, you'll be missing tomorrow as well."

She laughed, rolling her eyes playfully. "Alright Troy, I'll become a failure with you."

"Can we live in a cardboard box on the busy streets of New York City?"

"Complete with spirited city mice and hardly appetizing trash remains."

Troy grinned at her. "That's all I ask Montez."

* * *

Troy was waltzing on a cloud as he entered his house that night. The faint smell of lasagna filled the room, and even though Troy hated lasagna, nothing was bringing him down tonight.

Or so he thought.

Out of nowhere, Allison leaped in front of him and grabbed his arm. Before Troy could get a word out she yanked him into the study, and sat him down on the leather couch.

"Ally, what's up?"

She took a deep breath. "Troy, you're going to hate me forever."

"I highly doubt that. What's wrong?"

"I told mom about Gabriella."

"You what?!?!" Troy exclaimed, jumping from his seat. Oh well, so much for perfect mood. Now he was furious.

"I'm sorry! It's just, I don't know, it just slipped out. We were talking about you two during lunch and she asked why you couldn't just ask Gabriella out and I told her that she was dating Greg Sanderson. Apparently mom knows that he's abusive." She shifted her gaze from the floor to her brother's piercing blue eyes, which had suddenly darkened to a deep navy color, as they always did when he was excessively mad. "Look Troy, it's not like I told her on purpose-!"

"I know, I know," Troy cut her off. "It's okay Al. I had to tell someone eventually. You just beat me to it."

Allison bit her lip. "She asked me if Gabriella was being abused and when I didn't answer she told me she was going to call her mother."

"Damn it!" Troy yelled, running from the study and racing to the kitchen. _If Gabriella finds out I told people about Greg she'll never speak to me again. I can't have that_. He came to a skidding halt when he reached the kitchen.

But he was too late.

"Hello Maria, it's Lisa Bolton... I'm fine thanks, how are you? That's great... listen, I was just wondering if you knew about Gabriella's boyfriend... yes... Well, no, he's not as great as he seems... you see my daughter knew him when she was in school and... Yes I do have another child, ha ha, obviously Troy didn't tell Gabriella... Well Greg's been known to just be using girls. You see, he abuses them... Uh-huh... Uh-huh... Really? Yes, Gabriella confided in Troy, I think it's cute... Of course... Oh anytime Maria, good night."

"Mom," Troy breathed after she was finished. "W-Why did you do that?"

"Oh Troy honey, you can't let this keep happening to her. She's such a sweet girl. I can't stand thinking that she's getting hurt like this." Lisa smiled sadly, handing plates to Allison, who appeared behind Troy a few minutes later.

"But Mom, she's never going to talk to me again. Don't you get it? She made me promise not to tell anyone. She made me swear!" Troy raised his voice, getting really angry.

Lisa still spoke calmly. "Troy, I know how important Gabriella is to you. And that is why it's a good thing you told Allison. It's a good thing that her mother knows, trust me. Now wash up, it's time for dinner."

Troy sneered. "I'm not hungry."

He sprinted up the stairs, slammed the door behind him and flopped down against the soft covers of his bed. This was it. It was the end of their friendship as he knew it. He was so in love with her and yet it was all coming to an end. Breaking a promise is one surefire way to no longer have that certain friend. When someone confided in you, you were supposed to keep that secret forever. Breaking a promise was something he had vowed never to do.

But he had done it. And he couldn't bear to see her reaction.


	11. Ch 11: Thursday Trauma

**Hey peeps! Can I just take the time to mention that today (um, okay tonight) is the three-month anniversary of "I Want You to Want Me." How exciting, no? LOL. YAYYY! So I hope you all had a nice and safe Fourth of July (unless you don't celebrate it, in that case, sorry ahah). Welcome to chapter eleven! Another thing I'm gonna mention is that there's only four chapters left of this story until the end. We (OF COURSE) have to have Friday, and then there's the Pre-Prom Gala, the aftermath, and the Prom. Then this story hits COMPLETE. Awww! I know, I'm gonna miss writing it as much as you're gonna miss reading it. Lol, I know, modest much?**

**Thank you sooooo freaking much for reviewing!! My birthday's in a few days, the fourteenth to be exact, so please review some more and make me happy! Haahaha**

**I own...oh wait, nothing. :(  
**

* * *

Chapter 11: Thursday Trauma

"_How could you?" Gabriella screamed at him, tears flowing from her eyes._

"_I'm sorry Gabriella! I didn't mean to tell on you! It just sort of slipped out." Troy apologized._

"_I hate you Troy! I can't believe you would break a promise to me!" She looked down. "Especially after I confided in you. You're my best friend... I just thought you would keep that promise."_

"_Gabriella please," Troy begged, taking her arm before she turned to go. "I had no other choice. You're going to get the help you need now. Greg doesn't belong doing this to you. I don't want it to end this way."_

_But Gabriella yanked her arm away. "Don't touch me! I hate you Troy Bolton!! I hate you!!"_

Troy woke up from his terrifying nightmare in a cold sweat. He was breathing heavily from the start that his dream had given him. It felt so real, as if she were truly with him, yelling, crying, accusing... he shook his head. Thinking about it wouldn't make it any better.

Glancing at his clock, he noticed it was only two in the morning. Groaning, he rolled over and waited for sleep to come. But it never did. A half hour later he was still lying there, thinking about all of the possible outcomes.

Did her mother even confront her yet? Does she know that he told her deepest secret? How was she taking this news? Maybe she didn't know yet. There might still be time to explain to her that his intentions were good. He hadn't meant for it to happen this way. He wanted to take care of it on his own. Really.

Sneaking a look at his clock again, Troy sat up and dug around for his cell phone. Two thirty-five and he was going to call his best friend. If she loved him like he did her, she wouldn't really mind. But then again, he didn't know if she knew that he had told on her yet. Bearing this shameful burden, he continued on with the call.

Groaning and rolling over groggily, Gabriella picked up her cell phone which was ringing incessantly, still to the tune of 'Start of Something New.' The glow of her cell phone partly illuminated the room but somewhat blinded her as she answered it. She thought it was the only way to make this insane person stop calling in the middle of the night. Err, morning.

"What?" She whined, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Gabriella, I have to tell you something. Sorry I woke you up," Troy apologized

"Oh you didn't wake me up. I'm always awake at two-forty in the morning. That's when I get my second wind." She teased, laughing tiredly.

Troy laughed along. "I see. See, I get mine at 1:15. No but seriously, I gotta talk."

"Is something wrong?"

"Not with me," Troy drew in a deep breath. "Did your mom talk to you about Greg?"

"This is about Greg? Well, I guess so... what do you mean?" Gabriella asked confusedly.

"I told your secret. I know your totally going to hate me now and never talk to me again and I don't blame you because what I did was dishonest. I promised you I would keep your secret but it was eating at me so badly that I just cracked. I told Allison, Ally told my mom, and she called your mom. And I'm really really sorry."

"Oh... I was wondering how she found out."

Troy braced himself for her reaction. "I'm so sorry Gabriella. If you don't ever want to talk to me again, I totally understand."

But Gabriella laughed. "Troy, how could I do that? You're my best friend."

Troy's eyes widened in shock. "Really? We're still friends after what I did to you?"

"Troy, this definitely proved something. But it didn't tell me that you were a snitch. It showed that you truly care about me. I'm actually somewhat relieved that you told, because know I feel... I don't know, protected. It's great. That's what I really love about you, Troy. You're so sweet."

He smiled. "Are you sure you don't hate me and are just feigning this happiness?"

She giggled. "No. I don't hate you. I could never hate you. We've been through so much to just... give up."

"You're right. Well, there's a huge load lifted off my chest."

Gabriella smiled. "Glad I could help Bolton. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Yes Gabriella. Sorry I interrupted your beauty sleep."

"Hey!" Gabriella squealed.

Troy grinned. "What? It works."

She blushed. "Thanks Troy. I'm gonna go now, okay? Good night."

"Night. See you tomorrow- ah, later this morning."

Troy chucked his phone over to his desk, not caring where it landed. Had he really just told her she was beautiful? _Ah, way to screw up your friendship Bolton_, a voice inside his head repeated. _While you're at it, you might as well just tell her you're head over heels in love with her. Just do it, what've you got to lose?_ His mind began to wander...

Troy succumbed to sleep shortly after that. But for Gabriella, it wasn't so easy.

* * *

It was all she could do to try and stay awake that morning.

She had been awake since two-forty five in the morning, with her conversation with Troy, and had not been able to get back to sleep. She tried everything, even counting sheep, but nothing worked. So now, at twelve-thirty and in seventh period, her sleep deprivation was beginning to take a toll on her.

"Gabriella!" Greg called her, hurrying up to her side. "I thought you weren't coming to school today. Weren't you sick yesterday?"

"Yeah, but I'm fine now. My mom told me I could go to school today so I did. Plus, I hate missing classes. I already missed nine from yesterday. I can't afford to miss another nine."

He pulled her into a hug that nearly caved her lungs in. "I missed you yesterday."

She, exhausted and just wanting to get to lunch because she was, in fact, starving, just hugged back, not wanting to deal with his emotions on top of her own. "I uh... missed you too." _Yeah right._

Greg then took both of her hands in his. "I'm really sorry for the way I acted with you. You know, hurting you and such. I realize now how much I'm going to lose if I lose you. You're amazing Gabriella. And I promise that I will never hurt you again."

This certainly woke her up. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Is there any way I can make it up to you?" He asked sincerely.

Gabriella smiled. "Walk me to lunch?"

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he happily obliged. "Of course, Gabriella. It's the least I can do after what I did to you."

Meeting them at the door was none other than Troy and Chad. Eyeing the couple suspiciously, they quickly ran inside before Gabriella noticed them. They stood close enough to watch, but far away enough to not be seen.

"See you later?" Greg asked before kissing her cheek.

"Yeah," She agreed. "Ninth period?"

"It's a deal. Bye Gabriella." He flashed a smile before heading off for his own seventh period class. Gabriella, seemingly flustered and confused, walked slowly to her table, trying desperately to figure out what was possibly going on.

"Hey Gabriella, what's up with Greg?" Sharpay asked the brunette. "He never walks you here."

"I know, that's what I'm trying to figure out," Gabriella answered. "It's weird."

"Do you think he's like, stalking you? It's possible." Chad offered.

"No! Ahh, just drop it." Gabriella responded opening her lunch. Chicken salad for the fourth day in a row? She sighed. _I gotta figure out something else to pack_.

"You alright?" Troy asked her. "You sound a little annoyed."

Gabriella rolled her eyes tiredly. "What gave you the first clue?"

Troy decided to back off a little. He didn't need an angry and annoyed Gabriella at the moment. But she continued.

"If _someone_ didn't wake me up at two-forty this morning I wouldn't have to worry about anything. But I'm not well-rested and everything seems to be getting on my nerves. And then Greg does something like this!!' Gabriella ranted.

Troy draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in casually for a hug. She laid her head upon his shoulder, the soft fabric of his shirt welcoming her very tired body. "It's okay Gabriella. Tell me all about it."

But it was too late. Gabriella had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

* * *

"Has anyone ever told you that you're adorable when you sleep?" Troy grinned mockingly, leaning against the locker next to hers immediately following ninth period.

"Shut up!" She squealed, carelessly placing a few books in her backpack. "I've been awake since two in the morning, I needed some kind of rest."

"Well was I efficient to your needs?"

She giggled. "Yes, your shoulder is very comfortable."

"Glad I could be of service, Montez." His tone then grew serious. "So what's up with Greg? He never acts like that."

"Honestly, I don't know. He came up to me today and apologized for everything and told me that he'd never do any of that again. It was so sweet," She swooned.

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah," She smiled. "I don't know what got into him, but I like it."

Troy didn't say anything. Maybe he was finally deciding to turn over a new leaf. It wasn't like him to act civil, especially around Gabriella, but it could be possible that somehow, some way, he was going to change. Troy sighed. It's not that he wasn't happy, he was- Gabriella deserved the best, but something in the back of his mind told him that she still, under the circumstances, didn't deserve Greg Sanderson. She needed to be with him.

Speaking of the devil-turned-angel, Greg appeared by Gabriella's side. "Hey Gabriella, you ready to go?"

She smiled. "Hey Greg. I'm ready; just let me grab my History book." Closing her locker, she turned to Troy. "Mason's final test is gonna be _hell_."

"Tell me about it." Troy mumbled.

"Troy, listen," Greg walked up to Troy, sincerely apologizing. "I'm really sorry for everything I've done to you. I mean, the name-calling, the overprotective-ness of Gabriella, not letting you talk to her- it was childish. I'm really sorry. I realize that you and Gabriella are best friends, and I'm okay with that." Hugging Gabriella closer to him, he added, "Any friend of Gabriella's is a friend of mine."

Gabriella grinned at her boyfriend and her best friend, obviously not seeing the hurt in Troy's eyes. "Um, Greg offered to walk me home today, Troy, so you can take the bus today. Is that alright?"

"Sure," Troy nodded.

"No hard feelings, right?" Greg asked, holding out a hand for Troy to shake.

Shaking Greg's hand, Troy searched for any kind of contradictory emotion, and was mildly shocked when he found nothing but pure sincerity. "Nope, none at all."

Troy watched as Greg and Gabriella walked down the hallway and out of the school. Hanging his head slightly, he wandered out into the bus port and aimlessly searched for his bus. He hadn't done this in awhile.

That's because it was their tradition to walk home together every day. It had been that way since last year. How could she just forget them like this? Climbing aboard his bus, (or _a_ bus for that matter, he only hoped it was his) Troy thought about the way Greg had handled Gabriella.

Greg Sanderson was _never_ that nice. Not to his parents, his peers, not even his sister. This had to be some sort of flimsy façade. It's not like he couldn't see past it. It just was non-existent at the moment. But the thought never left his mind as he rode the foreign bus home.

Something was up with Greg Sanderson.


	12. Ch 12: Friday Frivolity

**The only thing I have to say is... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEEEEEE!!!! LOL. **

**I own nothing. Except this day. It's my birthday, ya'll!! ... Okay, so technically I don't _own_ today, but that doesn't mean I can't have fun saying I do!!**  


* * *

Chapter 12: Friday Frivolity 

Not paying attention would be the understatement of the year this afternoon.

With the coveted Pre-Prom Gala the next evening, not a single mind was on their studies. Everyone, even the very studious Gabriella and Taylor, couldn't keep their mind off of the fun-filled extravagant dance later tomorrow night. The teachers knew it was no use trying to get their minds off of it; it wouldn't ever happen anyway. Everyone was extremely excited, hardly bearing to get through this school day.

Well, everyone that is, except for Troy.

Being the wonderfully sympathetic best friend he was, Troy was more worried for Gabriella's well-being than his own. He'd much rather see Gabriella happy then be happy himself. So once his premonition of Greg's new attitude spiked, she was all he could think about.

And this scared him.

Knowing that he cared about her enough to want to physically hurt Greg for hurting her frightened him. Could he really love her that much? Was it even humanly possible? How did this happen? One minute, they didn't know the other existed, and then the next thing they knew, they were singing together, breaking the status quo at East High, and becoming living legends of their high school world. In clichéd terms, they really had 'started something new.'

But he knew this was wrong. You're not supposed to fall in love with your best friend. But he did. And he couldn't help but feel good about this. For some reason unknown to him, Troy knew from the moment he heard her sing that they would be together forever. Maybe not as a couple, but definitely as the best of friends.

Except he wanted _more._

"Heads up, Troy!" A yelling voice broke into his thoughts. Too late of a warning though. The baseball flew through the air, whizzed past the first baseman, and smacked straight into Troy's skull.

He hated baseball, and didn't really understand why they made him play it in gym class. This just made it even worse.

Ryan came running over, him being the one who hit the ball in the first place. "Are you alright? Sorry I hit you with that man. I really thought Josh was gonna catch it."

Troy didn't say anything. He was seeing stars and the baseball diamond was beginning to spin into a whirlwind of mass confusion.

"You've... swing... got... good..." He finally blurted out, unable to create a full sentence.

"Coach!!" Ryan yelled towards Coach Bolton. "I think Troy needs an ice pack."

Coach Bolton called a time out on the gym-class game and headed over to his son. "Son, do you think you can play?"

"Sure..." Troy mumbled. "I've just got a splitting headache.

"Okay, go to the nurse. I'll excuse you from class just this once." Jack replied, sending Troy off and returning to his game.

Troy wandered back into the school, trying to make it to the nurse's office without falling over. The pain in his skull was completely unbearable. He wasn't exactly sure if the nurse could give him any painkillers, they're considered a drug, but it was worth a shot.

He successfully entered the nurse's office without causing too much of a ruckus. Knowing his father worked at the school as well, the nurse knew Troy better than any of the other students.

"Troy dear, what's the matter?" Mrs. Davis, the nurse, asked when he appeared at her door.

"Hey Mrs. Davis. I got hit in the head with a baseball in gym class. You wouldn't happen to have any Tylenol would you?"

She gave him a stern look. "Now you know I can't give you those! It's against school rules! But... since I am such a good friend of your father's, I'll do it for you. Just don't you go telling everyone in school or you'll get me fired!"

He smiled as she handed him two Tylenol tablets. "Thank you so much."

"Sit down here and rest this ice pack on your head. It'll make the pain go away quicker." Mrs. Davis advised, guiding him to the secluded area with a few chairs.

"Hey Troy!" Sharpay squealed, seated in one of the foam green chairs, clutching her wrist and applying pressure to it.

"Hi Sharpay. What happened to you?" Troy questioned the blonde, sitting beside her.

"I spilled hydrochloric acid in Chemistry. Chemical burn," She winced as Mrs. Davis applied more ointment to her burn. "It's not serious, but it kills."

"Ouch. That makes my injury seem ridiculous." Troy said, looking away. He handed her his ice pack. "You probably need this more than I do."

Mrs. Davis swatted his arm away. "I have more ice packs, Troy. No need to give up yours when you're hurting too."

Sharpay smiled at him. "Thanks for the offer though, Troy. That was sweet of you."

"Anytime."

"So who hit you anyway?" She inquired. "That must've really hurt."

"Actually, Ryan hit me. He's got a great arm."

Sharpay looked surprised. "Ryan? Ugh, he can be so stupid sometimes."

"It's okay, Sharpay. It wasn't his fault, actually. The first baseman missed the ball and I was supposed to catch it. But I was too busy living in my own world."

"Didn't understand," Sharpay continued, starting to laugh. "That anything can happen when you take a chance."

Troy laughed as well. "Wow, I didn't even realize I just quoted that song. How do you know it?"

"Gabriella's in love with that song. She changed her ring tone again. On Saturday it was "Girlfriend," now she decided that "Start of Something New" brought her better luck." She explained. "After all, it brought her to you."

He grinned. "Isn't she so adorable?"

"She is," Sharpay agreed. "Which reminds me, I can't go with you to prom Troy."

"Why not?"

"Zeke and I got back together. I'm sorry, he just admitted he was wrong to break-up with me and that he loved me and wanted me back in his life. Are you mad?"

"No Sharpay, it's alright. I did tell him to get back together with you, so I guess it's my fault that I don't have a date anymore."

"Troy," She began, but didn't continue. She didn't really have anything to say.

"Hello Mrs. Davis!" A familiar cheery voice broke into their conversation.

"Good morning Gabriella!" Mrs. Davis greeted, rising from her desk.

"Um, we need the glass bottles and the Windex for the project Mr. Mason talked about. He sent me here to get them," Gabriella explained, doing a double take as she looked to the right and saw Troy. Her eyes widened.

"Oh sure sweetie! Let me get them for you. They're in the back room." Mrs. Davis said, jumping from her seat and stepping inside the closet.

However, Gabriella didn't care about the bottles at the moment. She rushed to Troy's side. "Hi, are you okay?"

He smiled at her caring nature. "Yeah, I'm alright. I told my dad baseball wasn't my sport."

Gabriella sighed with relief and smiled a little, amusedly. "Who hit you _this_ time Troy?"

"Hey! You act like this happens all the time! This is only the... sixth time actually." Troy realized. "Wow, I guess this does happen all the time."

Gabriella laughed. Noticing Sharpay, she waved. "Hey Sharpay. Hydrochloric acid burn?"

"How did you know-?"

Troy cut her off. "Sharpay, we are talking about the science genius here."

"That's true," Sharpay agreed. "I think it's okay now."

Gabriella nodded. "It looks fine. You should probably apply some rubbing alcohol and Neosporin to it later, but for now it should be alright." Troy and Sharpay stared blankly at her. "What? I've done it myself. They burn like hell."

Sharpay stood. "She's right, it really hurts. Thanks Gabriella. I've gotta get back to class."

"No problem Sharpay."

As Sharpay left the room, Gabriella stood to leave, but Troy took her arm and pulled her down again.

"Don't think you're getting away from me that easily Montez," Troy grinned, throwing his ice pack on the chair beside him. "We've gotta talk."

"About what?" Gabriella asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Mr. Mason is gonna send out a search party for me in a few minutes."

"Yeah well he can wait," He waved it off. "What's up with Greg? Do you really believe that he's changed overnight?"

"Honestly, no. I think he's up to something."

_Good, we're on the same page_, Troy thought. _I'd hate it if she believed this act. But then again, she's too smart to overlook this_.

"But whatever it is, I'm sure I can handle it Troy. You've gotta stop worrying about this. Greg... he's a bit of a showcase. But I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. And as cute as it is that you're looking out for me... you can tone it down a bit." She let out everything she was feeling, then stood and picked up his ice pack. She pressed it back to the side of his head. "Troy, you have to keep this here. It's swelling."

Before he could get a word out, Mrs. Davis was back with Gabriella's necessary supplies. She took them from her gratefully and began to head back to class. As Mrs. Davis was then busied with a freshman who came in with an open wound, Gabriella turned around and came back to Troy.

"One more thing before I go," She whispered before pressing her lips softly to his temple- the very spot where the ball hit. "Thank you."

And suddenly, he felt no pain at all.

* * *

"I could not, for the life of me, concentrate today. Was anyone else having that same problem?" Taylor asked as she, Sharpay, Kelsi and Gabriella walked down the halls, prepared for the weekend and their exciting night.

"Me either!" Kelsi exclaimed. "It was like all I could think about was the gala. And all of this for the semi-formal one! Can you imagine how we're gonna be next Friday before Prom?" She shuddered.

"Hey Sharpay," Stephanie called out, approaching the girls. "I can't make your sleepover tonight. But I'll see you tomorrow night, okay?"

"It's alright. See you tomorrow!" Sharpay called back. Addressing the group, she asked, "You guys are still coming, right?"

"Of course, Shar. We'll be there." Taylor answered for the group.

Hannah Sanderson came up to Gabriella and pulled her aside. "Greg wanted me to tell you that he's home sick with a fever today. But he said he'll be there tomorrow night."

Gabriella smiled. She was still pulling the 'Nice Gabriella' act around the younger Sanderson. "Thanks Hannah."

She grinned and twirled her ponytail around on a finger. "No problem. See you tomorrow!"

Gabriella shuddered as Hannah left. Finally exiting the school, they came upon Sharpay's baby pink corvette and each took their seats upon the cool leather.

"Sharpay, I still don't understand why or how you have a car like this." Kelsi stated, shaking her head.

"Guys, I've told you before and I'll tell you again, my father owns the country club in Lava Springs. And everyone belongs there! If you think this is bad, wait till you see my house." Sharpay explained defensively.

Kelsi laughed. "We've seen it, Sharpay. It's bigger then the Spelling mansion."

All three girls laugh except for Gabriella, who wasn't paying attention to any of them. Taylor, sitting beside Gabriella, nudged her arm.

"You seem awfully quiet over there, Gabriella. What's up?"

"Eh, nothing. I was just thinking, that's all."

"Well tell us, dear, we need to know," Sharpay acted out dramatically.

Gabriella just shrugged, but Taylor took one look at her best friend before knowing she could completely read her thoughts. "I'll tell you what's going on with her. She's head over heels in love with her best friend, Troy Bolton and is completely regretting ever saying yes to Greg Sanderson. So now she's confused and annoyed, and lost in thought over what to do with her situation."

She stared in disbelief at Taylor. How could she possibly have read her mind like that? From the driver's seat, Sharpay looked utterly shocked at how well Taylor's mind-reading skills were, not at the fact Gabriella's feelings were written all over her face. She had known that Gabriella had a crush on Troy since she had first become a student at East High. Kelsi shared a knowing glance with the blonde; she knew it too.

Taylor sat with her arms crossed as Sharpay pulled the car to a stop in her enormous garage. "Well, am I correct?"

Gabriella took a deep breath. "Taylor... you nailed it."

"I always do."

* * *

**Okay, sorry if that was really boring. I didn't like the ending myself. But the next chapter is where all the action comes in, trust me. Review por favor!! **


	13. Ch 13: The Pre Prom Gala

**Dun dun dun!! This is the mother of all chapters. It's where everything happens. You'll get to see what Greg's up to (as if you don't already know) and a few little surprises along the way. Keep in mind that this is the longest chapter of all of them, it was seriously 10 pages on Microsoft Word. Ha ha ha. That's how much happens in this chapter. So be prepared.**

**Also, thank you all so much for wishing me a happy birthday!! I had a great birthday, and it was so nice to get all of your nice comments wishing me so. So thank you very much!!!**

**I own... eh nothing. But I wish I owned Sharpay's hot pink or silver stilettos. Damn, that would be cool.  
**

* * *

Chapter 13: The Pre-Prom Gala

It was the night they had all waited for.

Well, the first one anyway.

The Pre-Prom Gala was not something that most schools did, so the East High Wildcats were overly excited to behold this coveted event. They took it very seriously, almost as serious as the prom. The different selected clubs spent all Saturday morning preparing and setting up decorations. The seniors spent all Saturday afternoon hanging banners, blowing up balloons, and setting up snack tables and the DJ booth.

By now it was Saturday evening. And everyone was ready.

Sharpay stepped out of her car onto the threshold of East High, turning heads her way, as she was wearing a knee-length strapless dress that was deep red in color. She had diamond earrings (not real, but she could fake it, couldn't she?) and a matching stud necklace and her long blonde hair was tucked away safely in a messy bun, with strands of hair framing her lightly made-up face; the deep burgundy lipstick, silver eye shadow, and black mascara and eyeliner. Finishing off her outfit, were the six-inch silver stilettos her mother bought her for her sixteenth birthday. When asked by Kelsi if she was going to wear her tiara, she laughed and chucked it to the back of her closet.

Taylor was next out of the car, clad in an orchid halter dress that reached to the middle of her shins. Her golden hoops shook as she swatted a fly away from her face, and the bangles that occupied her wrist jingled in the silent night. Her dark locks of hair were curled to perfection in a half-up half-down hairstyle, with a rhinestone clip holding it all together. The light blue eye shadow on her top eyelids glimmered and her lips sparkled with strawberry lip gloss. Taylor's light purple heels clicked as she stepped around the car and joined Sharpay on the sidewalk of East High.

The bronze-chocolate dress Kelsi had purchased appeared at the car door soon after. She had a different look about her tonight, with her halter dress instead of spaghetti straps. It was a metallic brown, glittering as the moonlight shone upon the shiny fabric. Her gold necklace hung loosely from her neck, matching the earrings hanging from her ears. A light golden eye shadow clung to eye lids, a sparkly lip gloss to her luscious lips, and a thick mascara to her light lashes. Her hair was completely stick-straight, and hung low on her shoulders. Two rhinestone clips held a few strands of hair out of her eyes. The metallic shoes Kelsi was wearing carried her over to the other two, as they awaited their last companion.

Gabriella Montez.

She was making a daring attempt tonight, as her magenta pink strapless dress flowed just above her knees. Her dress was practically flawless and accentuated all of Gabriella's curves. She had borrowed a pair of Sharpay's stilettos, the hot pink ones, to make her seem four inches taller than she actually was. Sharpay had done her hair to look similarly to hers; the messy bun with wisps of hair hanging in her eyes. She had also shaken some glitter into her scalp, adding some glitz and glam to her look. Silver hoops hung delicately from her ears which matched the silver necklace in the shape of a 'G' which was embedded with diamonds (these were actually real; a gift from her aunt).

They looked amazing. And they were excited.

"Where are the guys?" Taylor asked as the four girls guided each other along East High's brightly lit sidewalk and into the school.

"They're probably inside," Sharpay concluded as they entered the gym. "I'm sure they're looking for us too."

"Greg gave me very specific directions as to where he is waiting." Gabriella informed the others quietly.

"Gabby, you don't even like him. Why don't you just break up with him? He's being all nice now, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal."

Gabriella shook her head. "No Kels, he's up to something. I'm not sure what, but I know that he's not really this nice. Something's going on, and tonight I'm gonna figure out what."

"You need to end this with him," Sharpay stated sharply, shooting her friend a glance. "And tonight is the perfect time to do it."

"You're right," She agreed sighing. "I'll do it tonight."

"The guys are over there." Kelsi squealed as they made their way over to their dates.

All of the guys were dressed as sharply as the girls, primped just to perfection. Jason took hold of Kelsi's hand, as Zeke and Chad did the same with Sharpay and Taylor. Stephanie, Ryan's date, had arrived earlier, so she and Ryan were already waiting there. Troy looked down at his shoes nervously and Gabriella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You look great tonight Gabriella," Troy choked out finally, after the others had left the two alone. He thought she looked amazing, and wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her like he wanted to since the beginning. So what was holding him back?

His answer came right when Gabriella smiled and opened her mouth to reply. Greg wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Thanks Tr-"

"Gabriella, don't you look lovely this evening!" Greg grinned, squeezing her waist.

"Greg thanks, but I was talking to Troy. You can't just-"

But he cut her off. "I can and will do anything I want. Come on, let's dance."

As Greg pulled Gabriella over to the dance floor, she shot Troy a pleading glance over her shoulder, begging him to forgive her. He half shrugged and gave her a small reassuring smile as he sat on the bleachers behind him. Watching the rest of the school dance and have a grand time with their dates and friends, Troy heaved a sigh and contemplated how he'd get Greg out of Gabriella's life.

He hadn't even realized that he was sitting there for an hour before Gabriella sat beside him. She tapped his shoulder and he jumped.

"You're not gonna sit here all night, are you?"

"Gabriella, you scared the crap out of me."

She laughed. "Well sorry about that. I just thought you could use some company. Greg wanted to get a drink so... here I am."

"Ah, I see," Troy grinned. "But to answer your question, yes I'm thinking about sitting here all night. I haven't found anything else to do."

Gabriella motioned over to a group of cheerleaders. "Heather and Lizzie want to dance with you. They've been trying to get your attention all night."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Heather and Lizzie aren't my type."

"Oh yeah?" Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "Then who is your type?"

"I like brainiacs," Troy spoke softly, then glanced at Gabriella to catch her reaction. She blushed and looked down.

And then they were silent.

Troy wondered if he had said too much. If she didn't feel the way he did, did he just ruin their trust bond? He gulped, but then all of his fears were pushed aside when she took his hand and stood.

"Wanna dance?"

He nodded and led her to the dance floor. But just as soon as he did so, Hips Don't Lie by Shakira ended, and instead was replaced by Jesse McCartney's Why Don't You Kiss Her? This song not only described everything Troy was feeling at the moment, but it also made him very uncomfortable. Nevertheless, he placed his hands around her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and they swayed to the slow beat.

"Gabriella?" Troy whispered quietly

"Yeah?"

"Thanks... you know, for getting me to do this. I don't need to wallow in self pity."

She giggled softly. "Anytime Troy. It's nice, you know. I mean, Greg doesn't slow dance so..."

He brought his forehead down to rest upon hers, hoping she wouldn't pull away. She didn't. "I don't see why not. Who wouldn't want to dance with you?"

"Well everyone wants to dance with you. What makes me so special?"

They were hardly whispering now. Their voice tone was barely audible, but each of them heard each other. And that was all that mattered. Troy inched closer, as if wanting to push it over the edge but not wanting to all at the same time. Gabriella closed her eyes, not even thinking about the consequences on an afterthought. Their lips grew dangerously close, more touching than not. It looked as if Troy was going to get what he wanted after all.

"GABRIELLA!!!"

Or not.

The two jumped apart, completely startled. Greg yanked her away from Troy, clearly appalled from what he just saw. He forcefully held her behind him, despite her constant protests.

"What the freaking hell were you two doing?" He spat, looking Troy over as if he were the filthiest person alive.

"We weren't doing anything, Greg. Troy and I were just-"

Greg whipped around and stared her down with his cold icy blue eyes. "I didn't ask you."

She cowered back, afraid of what he'd do to her if she spoke again. Troy reached out for her but Greg shoved his arm away.

"You are not going to touch her! And I'll make sure you never touch her again!!" Greg then took a bruising hold of Gabriella's arm and dragged her out of the gym.

"Oh my god," Troy muttered under his breath. _What is he going to do to her?_

One person might know. And Troy had to find that person.

Where was Hannah Sanderson?

* * *

"Greg!!" Gabriella shouted as she was being dragged down the hall. "What are you doing? Stop this please!!" 

He spun around and smacked her across the face. "You don't get to know what I'm doing beforehand. Don't you freaking get it? Gabriella, you _cheated_ on me. Kissing that... that Bolton!!"

"But I didn't kiss him!! We didn't even kiss! You're just blowing this way out of proportion. See I can explain..."

"But I don't want to hear what you've got to say!" He hissed, shoving her shoulders hard so that she fell backwards to the ground. "A girl who cheats should be punished."

Gabriella winced as she noticed a small cut on her wrist, but stood up again. "Greg, please!"

"Do you think I'm not good enough for you?"

She said nothing.

"You need another guy on the side because I don't fulfill your needs?"

Again she didn't respond, and he smacked her once more.

"Answer me when I talk to you!"

"No! Greg no. Listen, I'm really really sorry. But you have to understand that we didn't kiss. Troy and I were dancing. We didn't-"

"Gabriella I don't want to hear the dirty details!" Greg waved off her reply, dragging her down the hallway again. He finally came to a stop in front of a janitor's closet.

Gabriella managed to find her voice again. "W-what are you doing?"

"I'm making you pay the price of cheating, dear." He breathed. The faint smell of alcohol hung on his breath, making Gabriella turn away. He jerked her head back at his own.

"Just like Michelle." He spat harshly.

And then it was clear what he was about to do. Gabriella's eyes widened in shock as she realized what was about to happen.

He was going to rape her.

* * *

Troy raced around the gym like a maniac, searching for Hannah Sanderson. He hadn't found her and was beginning to worry about Gabriella more and more with every passing second. Suddenly, as he was running, he slammed into another person. 

"Ow!" She screamed.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Troy said making sure she was alright. "You okay?"

She rubbed her forehead. "Yeah... ugh my head." Then she blinked twice. "Troy? I was looking for you!"

"Hannah? Jeez, I was looking for you too."

"You've gotta stop Greg!!" She finally rushed out in a hurry.

"What do you mean?" Troy asked apprehensively.

"He's gonna rape her, Troy!! Oh god, you have to stop him!" Hannah cried, bringing a hand to her forehead. "I can't bear to see him do it again!"

Troy's heart sank. _Rape? Is that what this is going to come to? _"Where is he?"

"I don't know," Hannah replied, swallowing. "He said he was going to find some closet or deserted classroom. I just don't want Gabriella to get hurt. I really didn't think he was doing this to her, honestly!"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Hannah. I'm glad you told me this. Thank you."

Chad came up with Taylor and Sharpay a few seconds later. "Hey man, what's going on?"

"Greg's going to rape her. I have to stop him."

"Oh my god, not again!" Sharpay cried, whipping out her cell phone. "We'll call the police; you just need to find Gabriella!!"

"Thanks guys," Troy nodded towards them before racing out of the gym. He shot Hannah a surprised look when he noticed her by his side.

"You're coming?"

"I just feel so bad. He told me he wasn't hurting her and I believed him. This is partly my fault, and I need to see my brother pay for his actions." Hannah explained, taking off her heels and carrying them as they ran through the halls.

Now all they had to do was find her. But how many closets were there in East High?

* * *

"There are other ways to solve this, Greg." Gabriella whispered as she watched Greg try and lock the closet door. 

"Shut the hell up! This is my way of solving things. Maybe you won't cheat next time if I show you what happens when you do," Greg hissed, pushing a broken chair up against the door. "Damn door won't lock."

_Thank God_, Gabriella thought. And all of a sudden, Greg turned around. He gave her a sickening smile before lunging at her. She screamed and tried to get away from his grasp but he was too strong. He tackled her to the ground and began kissing her in earnest.

Try as she may, Gabriella fought him off. She kicked at him and screamed whenever he left her mouth to take a breath. But this ended up with him on top of her, sitting forcefully on her legs to keep them from attacking him. Greg laughed maniacally, and threw her stilettos against the wall. Gabriella winced as they hit the wall and slid down it, both heels breaking off within seconds. _Sharpay will die_, she thought. But right now, it didn't matter. All that mattered was to keep him from getting what he wanted.

She was struggling, that's for sure. Breathing heavily she began to push him away as best as she could. But Greg responded by lifting himself off of her only for a moment. He sat on her upper abdomen and pressed his knees on her shoulders, causing immense pain. Greg laughed as Gabriella winced in pain and wriggled to get free. He folded down the top of her strapless dress and began to caress her breasts. She shivered under his touch, obviously not liking the feeling.

"Stay still, or this will hurt more than it's supposed to." Greg advised, getting off of her shoulders and stomach to the lower part of her body.

Greg pushed up the bottom of her dress, immediately receiving response from Gabriella. She adjusted her top, sat up and pushed Greg off in attempt to save herself. He smacked her again, and pushed her down to the floor, gagging her with one hand. She placed both of her own on his arm, just begging him to let her breathe. He waited until she lost complete energy before shoving her to the floor and resuming taking off her pantyhose. Unfortunately for Gabriella, he succeeded.

And she was losing energy fast.

She kicked him in the groin, trying to gain some kind of control. His roaming hands immediately went to that place and she stood and banged on the door, screaming for someone's help. But he tackled her to the floor once more. By this time, her adrenaline kicked in, and she became stronger. Gabriella punched him in the chest which knocked the wind out of him temporarily. She climbed on top of his chest and began beating him in the face. She eventually gave Greg a bloody nose, which was more than he could handle.

He flipped her over and started yanking at her clothes, tearing the dress she spent forever looking for with Kelsi at the mall one evening. The blood from Greg's nose dripped onto her tattered clothes as he hovered over her, ready to come in for the kill. She smacked him across the face, but it didn't seem to faze him as he smacked her right back, and pushed up her dress once more. His hands lingered over her underwear, teasingly so, as if making her wait for the hell he was going to put her through. She held her legs together tightly, trying to keep him away from her as long as possible. But she was weakening, and didn't know how much more of this she could take.

Suddenly, the door jiggled, clattered, and then smashed open. Troy stood at the open doorway, his breathing erratic, and his eyes widened at what he saw. Greg sat up when the door opened, and Gabriella took this as a chance to get away. She raised her hand as if to hit him again, but he grabbed it, twisting it in a way that an arm shouldn't bend. Gabriella cried out in pain. The first time she had cried all night.

And then it happened.

Troy punched Greg square in the face. He flew backwards and stumbled upon an old broken desk. Gabriella watched in shock as she clutched her wrist, then a surge of anger overcame her. She stormed out of the closet, tights and broken stilettos in hand. Hannah was there to greet her.

"Gabriella! He didn't do it, did he? Please tell me he didn't do it!"

"He didn't do it."

"Oh thank god!" She wailed. Police officers then rounded the corner. Hannah pointed towards the closet where Greg was still trying to recover from his fist in the face.

Troy managed to get out of the closet and immediately flew to Gabriella. "Are you alright? Please be okay. Tell me I got here on time."

"Oh yeah, you got here in time, alright," Gabriella praised sarcastically. "Why can't you ever let me deal with things on my own?"

She turned around and walked down the hallway towards the exit. Troy watched her in disbelief. He had just saved her. If he hadn't gotten here, she would've been raped. Why was she acting like this?

"Hello, I'm Officer Blackwell. Sir, may I have a word?" A police officer asked, stopping Troy from following Gabriella.

"Um, sure," Troy replied reluctantly.

"Are you in any way hurt?"

"No."

"What exactly happened here?"

"He was trying to rape Gabriella. He didn't do it, but he wanted to."

"This isn't the first time he's done it either," Hannah chimed in.

"Who are you?" The officer asked.

"Hannah Sanderson, Greg's sister."

Troy placed a hand on Hannah's shoulder. "And she can tell you much more than I can. I need to go find Gabriella."

Troy raced down the hallway, his only thought to get to Gabriella. The second he opened the door her saw her, walking barefoot down the sidewalk around the school, holding her stilettos and pantyhose, hair a mess, dress torn and bloody. And he also noticed she was crying.

"Gabriella!" He called out to her, but she didn't turn around. She just sniffled and kept walking. Troy sighed and followed behind her.

"Gabriella, will you please just talk to me?"

This time, she spun around. "Why should I bother? I'm probably 'not capable' of talking to you alone. Do you want to help me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why do you think I can't do anything on my own?!?! Why did you think I couldn't fight him off myself? I'm perfectly capable of handling him!" She screamed, angry tears welling up in her eyes.

"Gabriella, he was going to rape you! I couldn't let that happen!"

"I was fighting him off! It was okay!! I was kicking him, hitting him, slapping him... for God's sake; _I_ gave him the bloody nose!"

"You did?" Troy asked in surprise.

"Yes!! I didn't need your help Troy. I've been dealing with him since the beginning!" She yelled, turning around again.

Troy looked down at his feet. What the hell was he supposed to do now? "Well, I'm sorry Gabriella. You're a lot stronger than I thought you were." And then he turned around and walked away from her, leaving her alone like she wanted. But all he wanted was for her to want him.

Gabriella looked over her shoulder and watched out of the corner of her eye as he walked slowly away from her. She sighed, overcoming her pride and fears and turned around. Calling out to him shakily, she decided it was now, or never.

"Troy?"

He turned around. "What?"

"I need you."

Troy looked down at his feet, unbelievingly, and Gabriella collapsed to the ground, her whole body shaking as she sobbed. At the sound of her crying, Troy rushed to her side, sitting beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"You're not alright, are you?" He asked warily, rubbing her arm when goose bumps arose.

"Not emotionally," Was her reply.

"Please tell me this blood on your dress isn't yours." Troy pleaded.

"It's his. After I gave him a bloody nose, he kinda hovered over me and the blood dripped onto my dress."

He kissed the side of her head. "You're covered in bruises."

"So is he. I made sure of it. Oh god, Troy. I was so scared," Gabriella took a deep breath and wiped some tears away. "I'm really sorry. I can't believe I yelled at you like that. I know you were only trying to save me. Thank you so much."

"Gabriella, it's alright. I had to get you away from him. I was only trying to protect you. I didn't mean to make you feel like you couldn't defend yourself." He whispered gently.

"I know. And I'm sorry." She sniffled. "But thank you so much."

"Anytime."

A few moments were left in silence before Gabriella looked up at him, a question still lingering in her thoughts.

"Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"Why... why did you want to protect me? Like, why do you care so much?"

Troy took a deep breath before answering. "Because I love you."

Gabriella pulled away and stared at him in shock. "W-w-what?"

"I should've told you this when it first happened, but Gabriella, I'm in love with you. I wanted to go to the prom with you and should've just asked you in the first place, but I chickened out. I totally hate myself for ever letting you get involved with the likes of Greg Sanderson. But now he's out of your life and can never hurt you again. So... can we give this a chance?"

She said nothing, but shivered as the cool spring air blew against her bare shoulders.

"I know it's wrong to fall in love with your best friend but-"

"Well it can't be." Gabriella said suddenly.

"What?"

"It can't be wrong to fall in love with your best friend if... I did too."

"Y-you did?" Troy asked in shock and amazement.

"Troy, I've been in love with you since... I don't know, I think Twinkle Towne. And that was last year. I wanted to go to prom with you too, but I guess I just decided that we weren't meant to be and that Greg wanted to go with me so badly... so I just agreed. My original intentions were to break it off after prom, but then he got like this." She picked at her dress. "But now that he's gone, yes Troy, we can give this a chance."

Troy grinned, and then a realization hit him. "Gabriella, I've gotta tell you something."

"Anything."

"It was me on the radio that day."

She smiled. "I knew it."

Troy took her in his arms and the two hugged for quite a long time. When they pulled back, Gabriella had a few tears rolling down her cheeks. Troy cupped her face in his hands and brought it close to him. She closed her eyes, awaiting the impact she had wanted all along.

"Miss Montez?" Officer Blackwell appeared. The two lovers were so wrapped up in each other they hadn't heard his footsteps. "May we have a word?"

Gabriella pulled away from Troy, noticing he was annoyed at being interrupted again. She laughed softly. "That's like, what, the third time?"

"Fourth," Troy muttered, recalling a missed kiss in Drama Club as well.

She smiled and pulled Troy up with her, walking over to the police officer hand in hand. Troy, Gabriella, and Officer Blackwell walked back into the school and found a secluded hallway to have the interview. Gabriella grinned at Troy's arm around her waist, and looked up at him questioningly. He only smiled and tightened his grip.

He'd never leave her side again.


	14. Ch 14: Picking Up The Pieces

**Wow. What a chapter, huh? Seriously, it was pretty intense, and I have to say that the rape scene... I don't know, it was the hardest thing I've ever written. It's just not my writing style, so it was hard to capture. People were sighing with relief and thanking me for not letting Gabriella get raped, and my one response to that is, "I couldn't let that happen." I mean, come on, we have wayyyy too many of those kinds of stories. So I just let Troy be the hero. It's his job, isn't it? Another thing I have to say is... HA HA!! I made you wait once again for their kiss. They've tried twice in the last chapter, but each time were interrupted. I'm so cruel, aren't I? So now the big question is, do they kiss in this chapter? I don't know, do they?**

**I own nothing. Except for the fabulous reviews you guys gave me!!! Thank you so much!!!  
**

* * *

Chapter 14: Picking Up the Pieces

Troy waited patiently outside the gym for Gabriella. After she recalled what happened for the police officers, another police officer had called a doctor to examine her wounds and make sure she had truly not been raped. Despite Gabriella's protests, she was led away, and told Troy she'd meet him outside the gym when she was finished.

And so he waited.

About twenty minutes later she came to him, crying hysterically. He walked to her and held his arms open as she collapsed against him.

"What's wrong?"

"All the procedures she had to do... it just scared the hell out of me that it was that serious."

"Rape is serious, sweetie."

"I know," She gulped. "But I didn't even get raped. So I can't even imagine how bad it would've been if I actually _did_ get raped."

"I'm gonna take you home, okay? You've had a long night and you must be exhausted."

"Okay."

Troy dug his car keys out of his pocket. "Plus, you've got to tell your mother about what happened. She needs to know."

"My mom's away for the weekend. She'll be back... I think tomorrow night."

"Even better," Troy smiled. "You can stay with me."

"Troy, I can't just-"

"Yes you can, I'm not letting you stay by yourself, especially after what happened tonight. Please?"

"Are you sure your parents won't mind?"

"My mother loves you. And Ally's been waiting to meet you."

Gabriella gave in reluctantly. "Fine."

"I knew I'd get my way."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't you always?"

* * *

"Psst... Ally!" Troy whispered, lightly knocking on his sister's bedroom door. She opened it a crack and yawned.

"What do you want, Troy? It's like, eleven. I was just about to go to bed."

"We've got a... situation here."

She raised an eyebrow at him, and then noticed Gabriella. "Hey! You must be Gabriella, am I right?"

Gabriella smiled. "Yeah, hi."

"Allison. But you might as well call me Ally. Everyone else does."

"Okay."

"Al," Troy started. "Gabriella almost got raped tonight and her mother's away for the weekend so mom said she could stay here for the night. We need to borrow clothes."

"Oh my god," Allison stated, opening the door fully and letting them in. "Are you alright?"

"Physically yes. He didn't actually hurt me, aside from some bruises and cuts. I'm covered in his blood, so that's kind of gross."

Allison picked out a camisole and a pair of shorts before turning around. "And Troy didn't offer you a shower?"

Troy's face reddened and Gabriella giggled. "Well... no..."

"Oh jeez. How rude! Come on, Gabriella, I'll take better care of you than he will." Allison exclaimed, guiding Gabriella into her bathroom.

"I'll uh, meet you in my room after, okay?" Troy gulped, heading out of his sister's room.

"Okay Troy," Gabriella agreed, still laughing.

Once in her bathroom, Allison laughed as well. "We usually get along, but this kind of stupidity needed to be scolded."

Gabriella grinned. "I see."

"You know, I knew Greg personally. He's such an asshole. What did he do? I mean, you don't have to tell me if it's too hard... I understand."

"No," Gabriella sighed. "I need to talk about it."

"Okay, spill."

"Well, he yanked me down this long hallway and forced me into the janitor's closet. He practically attacked me to the ground and started hitting me. After he got my shoes off, he sat on my stomach with his knees on my shoulders and started feeling me up. He got my pantyhose off but I punched him and gave him a bloody nose. I fought him for a little while before getting weaker and weaker and then Troy came. He's always there, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is." Allison smiled. "But oh my god, I can't believe you went through all of that. You're really a strong girl, Gabriella. Now go and wash up, it should definitely make you feel better."

Allison handed Gabriella a towel, a washcloth, and her pajamas. Gabriella thanked her again, and headed into the shower. She let the hot water run over her body, her sore muscles from fighting off Greg, and the cuts and bruises that resulted in it. After washing up, she felt so much better than she had before. Looking in the mirror, she actually saw Gabriella, and not some scared girl who had almost gotten raped.

"Uh, thanks Ally," Gabriella said while coming out of the bathroom. "Thanks for everything."

"Of course, Gabriella. Anytime you want to talk, I'm here, okay?" She grinned. "Now, a certain sandy-blonde blue-eyed brother of mine is waiting for you down the hall. You two go make-out or whatever it is you do."

Gabriella laughed. "Okay. Good night."

"Good night."

Gabriella knocked a few times on Troy's door before entering. Troy was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling, but sat up when she entered the room. She grinned and sat beside him.

"All clean now?"

"Uh-huh. By the way, I love your sister."

Troy pulled her closer to him. "Me too."

"So Troy, isn't there something you wanted to do earlier? Something that got interrupted?"

He leaned in so his lips were almost touching hers. "Yeah, I did."

"And what was that exactly?" She whispered, her breath tickling his lips.

"Something like this."

And with that, he crashed his lips against hers in the most romantic and passionate kiss they had ever experienced. She brought her hands around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, as he wrapped his arms around her waist, fingering the soft fabric of her camisole. She lowered her hands to his chest when he raised his to her hair, entangling his fingers in her long brown locks. They both smiled throughout the kiss, after all this time getting what they wanted.

Troy and Gabriella kissed in the moonlight of his bedroom. Finally.

* * *

Gabriella awoke the next morning to the sun shining and the birds chirping in the trees outside of Troy's room. She smiled as the morning wind blew the fresh air into the room, ruffling the strands of hair on her face. Rolling over, she came face to face with a sleeping Troy, which made her giggle. She kissed his nose, and he stirred and woke up.

"Good morning Troy."

"Morning Gabriella. How'd you sleep?"

She rubbed her eyes and snuggled close to him. "Great. But I could've sworn I was supposed to sleep in the guest bedroom..."

Troy laughed and kissed her cheek. "I like this set-up better."

"Me too."

"So what've you got planned for the day?" Troy asked after a short comfortable silence.

"Uh, I don't know actually. I need to study for the global final and finish my Chemistry project. Plus that stupid Macbeth timeline is due tomorrow and I haven't started it yet. So, I guess those are my plans." Gabriella sighed.

"Or you could blow it all off and spend the rest of the day with your wonderful boyfriend," Troy offered. "You work too hard anyway."

Gabriella laughed. "Well that's a wonderful offer, but I really need to finish them. You could help?"

"Gabriella, considering what you went through last night, you just need to rest today."

She contemplated for a moment. "Well... the global final isn't until Friday, so I guess I can put off studying for a few days."

"And..."

"I'm almost done with my Chem project, and I'm partnered up with Taylor, so she could finish it."

"Ah, see? Keep going..."

"The timeline isn't too long. And I have study hall third period tomorrow. I guess I could just do it then."

Troy smiled with satisfaction. "I win."

"You always do."

* * *

After finishing a nice breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes, complete with whipped cream and a cherry on top- which Lisa Bolton called her "pancake sundae"- Troy and Gabriella retired to the living room, bellies full of rich, creamy chocolaty goodness. Troy leaned against the soft cover of the couch, pulling Gabriella close to him as he did so. His arms instantly wrapped around her waist as she rested her head gently against his shoulder. Breathing in his masculine scent, she closed her eyes, finally feeling that this was right. That she was safe.

And it had all worked out. Just like she had hoped it would.

Troy kissed her temple. "I'm really sorry, Gabriella."

"For what?" She probed, confusedly.

"If I just asked you out in the first place and didn't act like such a wimp, none of this would've ever happened," He stated, angrily rubbing a fading bruise on her right arm.

"Troy you can't go around saying "what if" or wishing against the inevitable." She scolded softly. "What happens, happens."

"Yeah, but this shouldn't have happened."

"Troy, for crying out loud, just be happy nothing too serious happened! I mean, he didn't reach his ultimate goal. Isn't that what's important?"

"Yeah," He sighed, giving up. "I guess you're right."

"Oh I know I'm right," She laughed. "But seriously, I should be the one saying, 'Oh, I should've just said no to Greg. None of this would've ever happened.' But I'm not saying that, you know why?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why not?"

"Because I believe that everything happens for a reason. It wouldn't have happened if God hadn't wanted it that way."

"So this whole Greg catastrophe... it had a reason?"

"Yup," She smiled. "Reason being, if I hadn't said yes to Greg, you wouldn't have realized your feelings for me and vice versa. I wouldn't have the courage to stand up to Greg last night, and you wouldn't have ever gotten to confess your feelings to me. We wouldn't have ever gotten together, actually, if it wasn't for Greg Sanderson. So in a way, he's kind of responsible for this little relationship we started here. We should thank him."

Troy stared at her, immensely impressed. "You are one forgiving person, Montez."

"I try to be."

He leaned in and kissed her then, showing her just how much she amazed him. She grinned throughout the kiss, knowing that this was truly how a kiss should feel. Not forced or painful like it had been with Greg. _Forced and painful was the kind of relationship I had with him too_, she thought. Nothing could compare with the love and sympathy she was getting from Troy Bolton.

Who would've thought she'd find love in her best friend?


	15. Ch 15: I Want You

**Hello fanfictioners!!! This is so sad because it's the last chapter. Honestly, I began this story thinking no one would really like it, but now it's just turned into this huge thing with 374 reviews!!! Dear Lord, thank you everyone!! Thank you so much for sticking with this story, reading all 15 of its chapters, and reviewing it! I have a new story up, so check that one out!**

**Please note: In this chapter, Gabriella's cousins make another guest appearance. I don't blame you if you don't remember them, I didn't either hahaha. They're from chapter 7, so if you wanna go back and refresh yourself on them feel free. If not, don't lol. Also note that the 'T' necklace Troy gives Gabriella at the end of this story is really gonna happen in HSM 2. Saw it on a commercial and thought it was adorable, so I had to use. Which reminds me, 9 days people!!! YEEHAWW LOL.**

**I don't own nor claim to own HSM, Disney, its characters, Hannah Montana, Spongebob Squarepants, Hi-Ho Cheerio, Cheap Trick, or this song. K? Ok. Then we are on to the final chapter of 'I Want You to Want Me.'  
**

* * *

Chapter 15: I Want You

Troy Bolton waited patiently upon the doorstep of his girlfriend's house, nervous as hell. It wasn't like he hadn't gone out on a date with her before. It was just that... this was prom. This wasn't like Homecoming or Snowball... it was huge. He twisted his class ring around his finger and took a deep breath as he pushed the little square button that sounded the doorbell.

A few moments later, he heard feet shuffling and the door clicking a few times before it swung open, revealing Maria Montez. She was wearing black capris and a blue t-shirt, her hair tousled and resting on her shoulders. It was obvious that she had either been working or dealing with something completely difficult. And Troy saw what had caused that. Behind her, kids ran amok, shrieking and yelling at each other while a squirming infant screamed at the top of her lungs. It was chaos.

"Oh Troy, hi." She greeted him exasperatedly, utterly out of breath. "You look quite handsome. Come on in."

"Thanks Miss Montez," Troy replied sheepishly with a smile, still eyeing the children in the background in shock.

"Sorry about the mess," She apologized, guiding Troy into the living room while stepping over a few toys. "My sister and her husband went out tonight and left me with the kids. Gabriella's in her room- she's almost ready. Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

"No thanks, I had dinner before I came." He said, glancing over his shoulder at a little girl and young boy fighting over the remote.

"Steph, let Alex pick the channel this time," Maria scolded. "You've already watched three shows."

"But _Hannah Montana_ is coming on!" She whined.

"Excuse me, Troy," Miss Montez started, rolling her eyes. Troy laughed lightly. He never knew what it was like to have such a big family. He only had two older cousins, as opposed to Gabriella's five younger ones.

He watched quietly as Maria decided to let Alex and Zach watch television, and settled Stephanie and Lizzie down with a board game. She then took the screaming infant in her arms and calmed her down with a bottle. Annabelle almost instantly fell asleep as Maria rocked her. She set her in her pack in play and things were finally quiet.

"How did you do that?" Troy asked in awe as Maria came back into the kitchen. Steph and Lizzie were quietly enjoying a game of Hi-Ho Cheerio, Alex and Zach were mesmerized by _Spongebob Squarepants_, and Annabelle... well, she was sound asleep. "Ten seconds ago they were screaming at the top of their lungs."

Maria smiled. "It's a gift."

Troy grinned and they were silent for a little while, until they heard a bang from upstairs and Gabriella screaming, "Damn it!" She opened the door to her bedroom and called from the top of the stairs.

"Mom, is Troy here yet?"

"Yes he is. I'm looking at him as we speak." Maria called back, smiling again.

"Shit! Tell him I'll be out in a sec. I burned myself with the curling iron."

"Gabriella! Watch your language!"

"Sorry," She mumbled before shutting the door once more.

"Troy, I really want to thank you. You know, for helping Gabriella through her relationship with Greg. And... well, letting me know about it." Maria said finally, after the two sat in silence for a little while. "I just can't believe she got herself into that mess. What would've happened to her if you hadn't been there... Oh, it's just terrible."

Troy looked down at his hands. "Yeah... I know. I'm just glad I did get there."

"Okay!" Gabriella's cheerful voice broke them out of their morbid conversation. "I'm ready!!"

Troy glanced over at the stairs as his eyes widened. Gabriella was dressed in a long flowing dark green dress, strapless of course, with glittering rhinestones on the hem. Her daringly high seven-inch silver stilettos were strapped safely upon her feet, making her tower over her mother, but just reach Troy's height. Her hair was tied back into a half up, but was curled to perfection, not a stray hair was left frizzed or uncurled. An earthy green tone marked her eyelids as a thick layer of lip gloss lay upon her lips. Even her eyelashes were curled and swabbed with mascara, her eyes perfectly lined with her favorite black eye liner. The white-gold hoop earrings her mother gave her for her birthday hung from her ears, matching the white-gold heart hanging from her neck. Upon her wrists were silver bracelets that jangled whenever she moved her arms. The dress swished and swayed as she stepped carefully down the stairs and walked over to her mother and boyfriend.

"Gabriella..." Troy began, still stunned at how amazingly gorgeous she was. "You look amazing."

"Thanks," She smiled, as he kissed her swiftly. He carefully attached her corsage to her dress which she grinned at. "You don't look too bad yourself. Bolton, you clean up nice."

They laughed and Maria approached them. "Picture time!!"

After about twenty full minutes of pictures, Gabriella begged her mother to stop. She agreed, embarrassed a little, but blaming it on how she didn't have any other kids who got to do this. She kissed Gabriella goodbye and wished them a good time. Suddenly, and outbreak of squeals came from the living room. Annabelle was woken from her nap with a screaming start, as Stephanie ran through the house with the remote held above her head, Alex chasing her for it. Lizzie was throwing game pieces at a hysterical Zachary, who wailed at the top of his lungs. Gabriella gripped Troy's hand in an attempt to get away from the mess. Maria sighed as she watched the two leave the house.

"Gabriella," She called after her. "If you know what's right, you'll stay and help me?"

"Mom," Gabriella laughed. "If you know what's right, you'll let me go."

* * *

"Did your parents take like thirty million pictures of you too?" Taylor asked the girls as they gathered around the chairs in the ballroom, cups of soda in their hands, exhausted from all the dancing.

Gabriella took a seat next to her. "Yes. I thought we were going to be late because of her. I'm like, 'Mom, the limo's not gonna wait forever!' I don't know, it was interesting."

Kelsi and Sharpay joined them too, seated upon the provided chairs in the ballroom of the Grande Hilton hotel. "My mom took a lot of pictures too. My dad had to stop her,"

"Well Zeke and I got our pictures taken professionally," Sharpay added, the rest of the group just staring at her. "What?"

"Girl, you've got more money than you know what to do with." Taylor replied shaking her head.

Just then, the song changed to 'A Moment Like This' by Kelly Clarkson, and Zeke and Chad approached the girls. They took Sharpay and Taylor off to the dance floor, leaving Kelsi and Gabriella behind.

"Well that's nice. Just leave us behind," Kelsi mocked complained. Gabriella laughed as she nudged her friend.

"Correction, leave me behind. Jason's coming over here." Gabriella smiled. Kelsi stood and she and Jason stood closely together on the dance floor, swaying softly to the beat. As nice as it was to watch her friends' budding relationships, she felt lonely and wondered where Troy was. She looked around for him, but he was no where to be found.

"Looking for someone Montez?" A voice called from behind her.

She turned around and grinned when her chocolate brown eyes met his cyan blue ones. "Yup, you."

"You found me," He smiled back, standing next to her and outstretching a hand. "Wanna dance?"

"You bet."

Troy led Gabriella to the dance floor, but told her to stay put as he moved swiftly through the crowd to the DJ's booth. He told the DJ something secretly, and he nodded, giving Troy a fancy high-five and the 'Ok' signal. Troy made his way back to Gabriella and took her hands in his.

"What's that all about?" She asked, eyeing him and wondering what he was up to.

"Oh nothing. Just you wait and see," He told her, bring her arms to rest on his neck as he replaced his on her waist.

"Hey hey hey! It's request time again!! This one goes out to Gabriella Montez from her loving boyfriend Troy Bolton." The loud booming voice of the DJ broke into the calmness of the night.

"Troy what did you do?" Gabriella persisted, looking all around her at the groups of people staring at her.

"I told you, you'll see!" He insisted on keeping it secretive.

And suddenly, she did. A certain song decided then to blast itself from the speakers, and Gabriella knew exactly what he had done. He requested this song for her. In her honor.

_I want you... to want... me!!!_

I want you to want me  
I need you to need me  
I'd love you to love me  
I'm begging you to beg me

"Did you request this for us?" Gabriella asked, smiling. No one had ever dedicated a song to her before.

"Of course I did. This one's for you." He leaned in and kissed her, long and passionate, as everyone around them watched and thought to themselves, _finally_.

_I want you to want me  
I need you to need me  
I'd love you to love me_

_I'll shine up the old brown shoes, put on a brand new shirt  
I'll get home early from work if you say that you love me_

_Didn't I, Didn't I, Didn't I see you cryin'?  
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?  
Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin'  
Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?_

"This is our song, Gabriella. It'll forever be our song."

Her eyes filled with tears. "I love you."

"I love you too."

_I want you to want me..._

* * *

"... and well that is how theater began in our world. It all started because of the Globe Theater." Miss Darbus finished.

Gabriella looked up from her desk. To her left, Jason was sound asleep on his desk. Obviously Darbus had put him to sleep. Her boring speeches usually left the whole class in dream land. But not today. Today was the last day of school and everyone was too busy staring at the clock than listening to the speech of how the Globe Theater started theatrics. The row next to hers was where Troy sat, unfortunately in the front seat, with Chad right behind him. It was time. Only two more minutes left of school.

"That is it for today, class. After all it is the last day of school and all... You may use the last few minutes of class to chat with someone of your own primitive esthetic."

Gabriella leaned forward in her chair as she watched the clock once more. No one spoke. Everyone was so anxious to get out of class that no one cared about using their time wisely. One minute left.

Suddenly, the bell rang and the room erupted in chaos. Papers went flying in the air and people were cheering, running from the room. In all the mess, Gabriella somehow found Taylor and gave her a hug goodbye. Racing from the room, she got to her locker to gather her belongings and get out of school.

"Just where do you think _you're_ going Montez?" Troy asked, leaning against the locker next to hers. "Do you think you can really leave without saying goodbye to your boyfriend?"

"Oh that's right! Have you seen him?" She played along, giggling as he poked her stomach.

"This is gonna be one hell of a summer, Gabriella."

"I can already tell."

"We're gonna be together every single day. No, every single second."

Gabriella smiled. "Promise?"

"I promise you. In fact, I have something for you to show you how much I mean that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a rhinestone 'T' necklace. She lifted her hair so he could put it on for her, which he did with ease.

"Thanks Troy. It's beautiful, really."

"So now everyone can know whose girl you are." He grinned, giving her a hug.

She hugged him back. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Uh-huh," He agreed, pulling away. "I've been told."

As Gabriella leaned in to kiss him, she thought of how lucky she was to have him in her life. He was not only her best friend, but he had saved her from the likes of Greg. What would she do without him? Because of Troy, she knew everyday would be a different surprise. He was so creative, always thinking of new things to do.

It would be a summer she'd never forget.

-The End-


End file.
